The Pagemaster: A Royal Adventure
by MagicMovieNerd
Summary: One year after her previous adventure, Becca returns to the land of books as Bethylasia once again. This time, she must travel into lesser known parts of Libralia in order to retrieve the Pagemaster's book of secrets from an evil fire warlock known as Dante. Along the way, she faces many challenges - including segregation against new friends and romance with a runaway prince.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Long ago, when the book kingdom of Libralia was very young, two men were seen practicing magic in a grand palace. One man had brown hair with a long beard and blue eyes; he was wearing a dark blue overcoat with white and red trimming, indigo boots, and a dark blue hat with red and blue trim.  
The other man had auburn hair and brown eyes, and he was wearing a red shirt under a burgundy vest, a dark red sash across his waist, burnt orange breeches, and chestnut-colored boots.  
"That wasn't too bad of a flame, Dante," the brown-haired man said to his friend when he saw Dante, the auburn-haired fellow, produce a small flame with a wave of his hand.  
"Why, thank you!" Dante said with a grin, "Fire has always fascinated me, you know."  
"I see," the brown-haired man said, "But you must remember that sometimes fire isn't always our friend. Mostly for books and other things made from trees, it is a dangerous enemy." The brown-haired man loved books so much that he was always referred to as the "Pagemaster," and he always dreamed about ruling the kingdom of books and written world.

His friend Dante, on the other hand, always enjoyed the sight of fire for mysterious reasons. Ever since he was very young, his family and friends always wondered why he loved flames. He rarely socialized with others, and very seldom read books; there was something about fire that metaphorically sparked his interest. He learned about magical spells specializing in fire, and even volunteered at the palace on occasion, lighting candles in the hallways. On this day, Dante and the Pagemaster were practicing magic in order to impress the Pagemaster's uncle, who would soon decide who should rule the land of books – the Pagemaster or his cousin Malaria.  
When the Pagemaster mentioned the word "enemy," Dante gave a puzzled look before he cleared his throat and said, "To change the subject, my Pagemaster, I do hope you impress your uncle enough to rule Libralia, even though Malaria is your cousin and probably the rightful ruler of this place."  
The Pagemaster gave a worried look and said, "I don't know, Dante. There's something about my cousin that my family and I don't trust. She's always interested in macabre culture and dark magic, and I don't think it would be wise to rule a written world with darkness."  
Dante nodded and smirked, "I see. But you know some books are very dark in terms of word choice, characters, and feelings. I mean, have you ever visited the Crypts of Horror? You'll find all kinds of darkness in that place. Not to mention parts of the other sections of this library kingdom, too!"  
The Pagemaster furrowed his brows a bit and stated calmly, "I know that. And I've been to all the sections – except for the Restricted Section. My father and mother always told me it was forbidden to go there."  
Listening to the part of the Restricted Section gave Dante an idea. He decided to give it some thought as he and his friend continued practicing magic until the clock struck seven in the evening.

After a long day of magic, Dante decided to sneak away from Libralia's borders and visit the Restricted Section. He trekked over rocky terrain, climbed treacherous hills and cliffs, and crossed piranha-infested rivers with a simple raft and oar. Eventually, he made it to a very dark and cloudy bookshelf with all kinds of things – banned books, X-rated material, and forbidden objects from all parts of Libralia. Dante looked around and eventually, something caught his eye. It was a dusty, black book entitled _Fahrenheit 451_. Curious, Dante picked up the book, blew some dust off the front cover, and then opened up the book. He spent the rest of the night reading that very book; the story was about a dystopia in which reading or even keeping books was strictly banned. All books discovered in someone's home had to be set on fire by law enforcement officers.  
"Setting fire to books, hmmm?" Dante wondered to himself as he finished reading, "I wonder what would happen…"

The next morning, while Libralia's grand library was completely empty, Dante snuck in through the back entrance, and silently made his way to the center of the building. As he did, he picked up a few old books for a secret experiment. When he arrived at the center, Dante set his books down at his feet, and then waved his right hand a bit. No flames.  
He waved his left hand a little bit. Still no flames.  
"Why isn't this working?" he asked himself with frustration. Dante then waved both his hands at his books, and this time, a tiny flame shot out of his hands and landed on top of an old brown book. "Yes!" Dante cried out with glee, "It's working!" The flame flickered and grew; in very little time, the book was completely ablaze! Then, the fire caught on to an old red book. Dante laughed with delight as that book burned and slowly transformed to ashes.

Dante's cheer and celebration was cut short when a set of doors flew open, and some people were watching with complete shock! It was the Pagemaster with his mother and father. The mother gasped, the father gave a shocked and furious face, and the Pagemaster gave a shocked gasp. "Dante!" he gasped, "My dearest friend, what are you doing with those books?!"  
Dante turned and gasped when he saw the Pagemaster and his parents standing at the main doorway to the library. "Pagemaster!" he said defensively, "Don't come any closer! The same thing goes to your family!"  
"What you're doing is the worst kind of crime in Libralia!" the Pagemaster shrieked with rage, "Get out of my library! Get out of my kingdom! GO!"  
Shocked at his former friend's temper, Dante slowly backed away before he turned around and ran as fast as he could to the Restricted Section.  
The fire in the library was immediately put out, and only a little damage was done to the floor.

For many years, Dante lived in the Restricted Section, underneath Malaria's lair after the sorceress was rejected to rule Libralia by her own father. The warlock despised books ever since being exiled by the Pagemaster (who was now ruler of Libralia), and wanted to burn as many as he could. One day, Dante met three young teen girls who stumbled upon his underground lair while running away from their boarding school. One girl had a curvy body figure, chestnut hair and light brown eyes; she was named Rouge and aptly wore a red outfit. Another girl had a beanpole body figure, strawberry blonde hair, and brown eyes; she was named Crimson, and she wore a dark pink outfit. The last girl had a petite body figure, auburn hair, and green eyes; she was wearing a dark orange outfit, and her name was Cinnamon.  
"Mister, my friends and I are running away, because we hate our boarding school rules," Rouge complained to Dante when she and the other girls first saw him.  
"Yes," Crimson added with a hissing voice, "All the teachers there tell us to wear the same things every day, we have to respect all the other kids, and we have to clean up after ourselves! It's getting very nerve-wrecking and difficult every day! We can't take it anymore!"  
"Calm yourself, Crimson!" Cinnamon pleaded before she turned to Dante and asked, "Please, sir, if it isn't too much, may my friends and I please stay with you? Just for a night?"  
Dante looked at the girls very closely and saw something in them. Their outfits, body features, and even their names were interesting to him. Why? Because they were all related to fiery colors! Dante smirked and offered, "How would you young ladies like to be my pupils and assistants?"  
All the girls gasped and looked at each other. Rouge smirked back, then Crimson smirked, and Cinnamon gave a gullible and big smile. "We'll do it!" Rouge said with glee as her friends nodded in agreement. From that day forth, the three girls became Dante's henchwomen, bodyguards, and spies.

For ten years, Dante taught the three young ladies about fiery magic, weapons, and robbing other people's money to embezzle on magical materials and more weapons. Rouge decided to have her weapon of choice be a mace, Crimson decided on a pair of nunchucks, and Cinnamon decided on a bo staff.  
One day, the three women returned from a day of spying, and reported something that was NOT music to Dante's ears. "The Princess Bethylasia has returned and killed the wicked Malaria," Rouge told her master.  
"Yeah, and now literature and happiness has been restored to Libralia!" added Cinnamon.  
"WHAT?!" Dante roared with deep anger, "MORE LITERATURE AND BOOKS?"  
"Y-yes, sir," Crimson stammered nervously as she put each of her hands into a hand of her friends'.  
Dante slammed his fist onto a wooden table and then shoved everything off onto the floor. "The Pagemaster has really done it this time!" he growled, "And it's not just him – his whole family, especially the youngest girl! They royals can laugh, and cheer, and sing, and read all they want. One of these days – believe me – one of these days, there will be no more books in Libralia. There will be no more happiness! I WILL BE PAGEMASTER!" He looked up at the ceiling as thunder and lightning clashed together outside.


	2. Chapter 2

**One - Becca's School Day**

**One Year Later**  
An alarm clock was sounding as a teenage girl's hand reached out from under some bed covers to silence the clock. Eighteen-year-old Becca Ridges then grabbed her glasses and put them on as her pet cat Sheila jumped onto the bed to meow a good morning. "Oh, good morning, Sheila," Becca said as she pet her cat before getting out of bed.  
For the next several minutes, Becca was in the bathroom, brushing her hair and styling it in a low ponytail, brushing her teeth, washing her face, and putting on some bright clothes for the sunny summer day. She was wearing a white shirt underneath a yellow t-shirt, bright blue jeans, and black flat shoes. Before leaving the bathroom, Becca put on her most prized piece of jewelry – a necklace with an open book for a charm. This necklace was very special to her ever since she was seven years old, and since a fateful day happened in the previous year, Becca loved her necklace even more, because it reminded her of her trips to the library and her double life. In the real world, she was Becca Ridges, but in her dreams and fantasies, she was Princess Bethylasia of Libralia.

Downstairs, Becca's mother Tasha had just finished making some delicious waffles for breakfast. Mark, Becca's father, had finished eating a bite of waffle with fresh blueberries when he saw his daughter come downstairs with Sheila tagging along at her feet. "Good morning, princess!" Mark greeted her with a smile.  
"Dad, please!" Becca said with fake annoyance, "I'm growing up, you know!"  
As the girl went to the counter to feed Sheila her favorite cat food, Tasha told her daughter, "He knows that, dear! We both do. In fact, it won't be long before you finish up high school. Can you believe it?" At the last sentence, Tasha had to hold back some tears of happiness.  
When Becca gave Sheila her food, she went over to her mom and hugged her. "I know, Mom," she whispered, "And when I go to college, I'm gonna study how to be a librarian!"  
"That sounds like an excellent career, sweetie," Tasha said to her daughter, "I know you'd be a great librarian, because you love books, and you are very organized. I see that you also started visiting the library more often since that day you brought Sheila home."  
Becca smiled as she remembered the day when she transformed from a shy and awkward schoolgirl into a braver and more strong-willed young lady – all because of a dream she had while visiting that particular library. Her thoughts were interrupted when Mark told her, "Becca, you'd better sit down and have some waffles, or else you'll be late!"  
Becca immediately snapped out of her thoughts and rushed over to the dining table, where she hurriedly ate a waffle with butter and maple syrup. "But slow down, sweetheart!" Mark chuckled, "You've still got a good half-hour. In the meantime, I'd better get going, because I'm due to show a few houses to a new family in town!" Becca's father was a real estate agent.

As Mark left for work, Becca finished up eating her waffle before biting into a red delicious apple and drinking a glass of orange juice. After breakfast, the girl washed her hands, grabbed her sack lunch, and picked up her backpack. "Honey, good luck on your tests today," Tasha told her daughter before giving her a kiss on the cheek.  
Becca wasn't excited about another day of testing, but she knew she could do it, especially since her grades had been improving during the past year. "Thanks, Mom," she said as she opened the front door, "Wish me luck!" Sheila followed her young mistress out the door, but Becca turned and told her, "Sorry, Sheila. But don't worry, because I'll be home in six and a half hours! And then it'll be a weekend for visiting the library again!" Tasha gently picked Sheila up as Becca walked on down the path to her school.

* * *

When she got to school, Becca met up with two of her new friends, Elizabeth and Azalea. Elizabeth had light skin, dark blonde hair done in two braids, and blue eyes; she was wearing an orange shirt, red pants, and black shoes with gold trimming. Azalea had olive skin, brown eyes, and black hair styled in a single braid; she was wearing a navy blue shirt, a pair of gold hoop earrings, a red skirt with blue patterns, and blue and red boots. In the days after the fateful field trip, Becca decided to sit next to the two girls at lunch, and then they all slowly became friends. They talked about their favorite books, plans after finishing high school, and many other things to like and dislike. On this day, the three of them were talking about what their weekend plans were before the week of graduation.  
"I'm gonna visit the library again and see what kind of adventures I'll have in the books I read," Becca stated proudly.  
"Oh, Becca, you and those books," Elizabeth giggled, "I think I might do some reading, but tonight I'm gonna go with my folks, and we'll drive to the woods for a camping trip!"  
"Lucky you!" smiled Azalea as she feigned jealous, "I've got dance class on Saturday! But that's okay, because I love dancing!"  
The three friends continued laughing and talking until they went into their separate classrooms for finals testing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Two - Family Night and a Nightmare**

At three o'clock that after noon, Becca had finished up her last test, and was walking home with excitement. "Oh, I hope I get lots of A's on those tests!" She told herself with high hopes, "And then I'll be done with school next week!"  
Her happiness was cut short when she heard some thunder rumbling a few miles away. Becca looked up at the sky, and saw some dark clouds brewing. She knew she had to run home as fast as she could to avoid getting wet or even struck by lightning. So she ran home as fast as she could and was practically breathless by the time she reached home.

Tasha got up from her desk when she heard the door open and saw Becca panting. "Becca, was there a dangerous animal chasing you?" she asked, "Because you look really tired, and you're breathing heavily."  
"No, Mom," Becca answered as she regained her breath, "It's just that I heard some thunder outside, and I didn't wanna get rained on or struck by lightning."  
"Honey, you know I'm just kidding about the animal part," Tasha smiled as she led her daughter into the living room, "I know you're not scared of animals anymore. If you were, you wouldn't have Sheila around or be babysitting the neighbor's dog!"  
At that moment, Sheila came over and rubbed her head against Becca's leg. "Oh, Sheila!" Becca said with a smile as she picked up her cat, "Did you miss me while I was doing more tests today? I'm sure you did!"  
"Speaking of tests, Becca, how did you do today?" Tasha asked as she rubbed the white and brown cat's ears.  
"Oh, I did pretty well, I think," Becca answered, "The language arts and history ones were easy, but math was too hard."  
"I knew you would be good at language arts," Tasha grinned as her daughter gently put Sheila down on the ground, "Being a bookworm certainly makes that subject easy, doesn't it?"  
"It sure does," Becca said before she turned to Sheila, "Come on, Sheila, I bet you want some dinner now!" Instead of following her mistress to the kitchen, Sheila stayed behind, feeling a little nervous. Just then, some more thunder sounded outside.

Tasha went over to the window and saw some rain coming down from the sky very hard. "Well, Becca, it seems that you and Sheila were right!" she said with a grin, "Animals can predict bad weather and earthquakes before us humans can!"  
"That's right, Mom!" Becca said as she prepared some cat food for Sheila, "I just hope Sheila's still hungry!"  
"She looks a little scared at the moment, sweetheart," Tasha said as she saw Sheila run away to hide under a table, "Maybe after the storm dies down she'll be okay? After all, thunderstorms usually don't last very long."  
_Let's hope so,_ Becca thought to herself, _because I would hate to have to ride my bike in the rain to the library._

* * *

That evening, after a hearty supper and a little bit of television, Becca was up in her bedroom, wearing her hot pink pajamas. She was just getting ready to go to the bathroom to brush her teeth when she heard more thunder rumbling outside her window. The auburn-haired girl looked out her window, and sure enough, a bolt of lightning flashed, and more thunder rumbled in the sky. Becca gasped and wondered, "Another thunderstorm? Gee whiz! I hope there aren't any tomorrow, because the library's closed on Sunday, and I don't wanna wait till next week." She looked back and saw Sheila hiding under a chair. "It's okay, girl," Becca assured with a smile, "It's just like Mom says – thunderstorms usually don't last very long. Besides, they're just part of nature, and you don't need to be scared." The cat just meowed as Becca shrugged and went out of her bedroom to the bathroom.

_ Later that night, as the teenage girl lay sleeping in her bed, she began to dream. In her dream, Becca wandered through a dark hallway, and heard a voice softly call out, "Bethylasia!" Becca, or in the dream world as we know, Bethylasia, turned to where the sound was coming and heard the voice call again, "Bethylasia! Please, help!"_  
_"Who's there?" Bethylasia called out._  
_"Help!" the voice called again, "I need your help!"_  
_Bethylasia ran down the hall in the direction that the sound was coming from. As she ran, the hall became darker and darker. "What's going on?" she asked out loud, "What's happening? Why is everything going dark?"_  
_"Bethylasia!" the voice called with fear, "You must return to Libralia! Please help!"_  
_As she ran further and further, Bethylasia suddenly fell down a hole and landed in a dark pool of water. When she reached for the surface, she gasped for air and coughed, "What's happened? Somebody help! HELP!" Just then, she felt something grab her leg, making her go under the water as her dream ended…_

When her nightmare ended, Becca woke up with cold sweat and heavy breathing. Outside her window, lightning was still clashing, and thunder was still roaring as heavy rain fell from the sky. The girl sprang out of bed and ran to look out her window. "Oh, please stop storming by tomorrow," Becca quietly prayed with all her courage, "I need to go to Libralia tomorrow and dream about what's going on! The Pagemaster must be in trouble again!"  
She then heard a meow, and looked under her bed to see Sheila hiding again. "Sheila, we have to have courage," Becca whispered to her, "It's one of the biggest traits to carry around when stuff like thunderstorms and library crises happen." She gently reached her hand and stroked the cat's back, making Sheila a little less afraid; Becca then climbed back into bed and thought about what could possibly have gone wrong in Libralia now.


	4. Chapter 4

**Three - A Trip to the Library**

The next morning, Becca woke up very sleepy-eyed. She put on her glasses, climbed out of bed, and then went to look out her window. The sun was shining bright above her house, but a little ways to the west, dark clouds were forming. "Oh, I hope it doesn't storm later," Becca told herself with anxiety, "Because Libralia needs me." So she picked up her clean clothes from yesterday, and then went into the bathroom to prepare for her day.

* * *

All morning, Becca helped her mother clean the kitchen, cleaned Sheila's litterbox, and did a little yardwork in the front yard. After lunch, Becca decided that she wanted to go to the library by bicycle before it started storming outside. "Be careful out there, sweetheart," Tasha told her daughter as Becca picked up her bike helmet and book bag, "I don't want you to get hurt by lightning, or catch pneumonia from the heavy rains tomorrow."  
"Don't worry, Mom," Becca reassured as she turned to kiss her mother goodbye, "I'll be fine! I just hope nothing happens inside the library, either!"  
"Okay. Try to be home by five o'clock!" Tasha called out to her daughter as Becca opened the front door and then exited from the house.  
"I will!" Becca called back as she closed the door and made her way to her bike. She then used her key to unlock the padlock surrounding the bike, put on her helmet, placed her book bag in her bike basket, and rode off.

It was a very pleasant ride through the neighborhood. Birds were chirping in the trees, neighbors waved hello to each other, and children had fun playing kickball and throwing Frisbees in their backyards. Becca liked this kind of environment, because she knew she felt safe, and she had the courage if something did come up unexpectedly. Just then, she stopped at the intersection towards a main road. She looked left and right, and then found a safe opportunity to turn left. The young girl travelled a few more blocks among the sidewalks, and then stopped at the library she loved best. She then got off her bike and walked it over to the bike stand, where she started locking it up with the padlock. Just then, Becca heard some thunder rumbling off in the distance. She looked up, and sure enough, dark clouds were starting to loom over her and the library. She gasped and then ran up the steps to the main entrance of the library. She removed her bicycle helmet and opened the door to go inside.

Inside, Mr. Dewey, the head librarian, was organizing some things at his desk when he saw Becca walk into the vestibule of the library. "Ah, Becca Ridges!" he greeted with a surprised smile, "What kind of quest are you looking for in my library today?"  
Becca began, "Well, sir, I uh…"  
"Oh, wait a minute!" Mr. Dewey said as he approached the girl, "I have a knack for guessing what you need! You're in need of… science fiction – impossible inventions, mind-boggling discoveries, wicked extra-terrestrial life!"  
"Um, that's not really it," Becca said with shake of her head.  
"Fantasy!" Mr. Dewey exclaimed with excitement, making the other customers watch him, "You must be after a magic quest – handsome princes and princesses, knights in shining armor, dragons, unicorns, fairies, you name it!"  
"Well, that's part of it," Becca said with an uneasy look.  
"What else are you looking for?" Mr. Dewey asked, "Now let me guess… how about mystery? Unexplainable puzzles, famous detectives, and sly criminals!"  
"Part of it's a mystery, yes," Becca said with a slight nod.  
"How about adventure?" Mr. Dewey asked. Outside, thunder roared louder, and a lightning flash could be seen outside a window. The librarian waved his hand a bit and said to Becca, "You must be looking for another adventure! Travelling across the globe, battling wicked pirates, facing dangerous animals!"  
"I might need an adventure, too," Becca stated, "But I also…"  
"Horror!" Mr. Dewey gasped as lightning flashed outside again, "Oh, yes, horror! That must be what you want next – hideous and evil monsters, graveyards, ghosts and hauntings!"  
Becca held her hand up and said, "Mr. Dewey, if it pleases you, I wish to find a quiet area so I can… um… find some books to help me get ready for college." She didn't want to admit that she needed to be knocked out or fall asleep in order to go back to Libralia and become a princess again. Mr. Dewey would have never believed her!

Mr. Dewey looked at Becca with an amazed look and said, "Oh! College? I had no idea you were blossoming into a successful young lady! Well, for me, the quietest part of the library is down through that hall – between the fiction and non-fiction sections." He pointed down a hallway full of bookshelves, and Becca gave a small smile and walked down that hallway. Before she could go further, Mr. Dewey called out to her, "Oh, Miss Ridges! I must I advise you to please be careful. Some men have been working on a broken light, and I don't want you to get hurt – especially during a storm like the one outside!"  
"Yes, Mr. Dewey," Becca said with obedience. She then continued walking slowly down the hallway. When she reached the rotunda in the fiction section, Becca decided to have a quick look at it. Surprisingly, there were new pictures added to it. Along with the painting of the wizard (the Pagemaster) in the center, there was a painting of what looked like an evil warlock or sorcerer obsessed with fire, a painting of a beautiful gypsy girl dancing with a humble peasant girl watching, a painting of a handsome young man walking down a path with a beautiful maiden, and a painting of what looked like the Royal Family of Libralia – Crown Prince Matthias, Crown Princess Natalia, and their four children named Alexander, Donovan, Mirabelle, and Bethylasia. Becca smiled at that picture, knowing that those people were her imaginative family members in the dream world, and that she was the Princess Bethylasia.

Becca kept on walking and thought to herself, _I wonder what kind of mission the Pagemaster has in store for me? It must be something urgent._ Soon, she reached the non-fiction section, and went right by it in order to find a good quiet place. However, Becca failed to notice that one of the ceiling lights was hanging precariously from its place with other lights. Just then, the light and its pole creaked and started falling several feet towards the ground. It was that moment too late when Becca looked up and witnessed the light pole bonk her on the head, making her groan in pain before falling to the ground, unconscious…


	5. Chapter 5

**Four - Bethylasia's Return**

Becca got up from the ground with her knees and hands, rubbing her head. "Oh my goodness, what happened?" she asked herself. Just then, she heard a cat's meow. Becca looked down toward the ground and saw her cat Sheila. "Sheila, what are you doing here?" the girl asked the cat, "I thought you were supposed to stay at home!" She picked Sheila up and carried her as she got back onto her feet and walked a little bit. Eventually, Becca and Sheila found themselves back by the rotunda and heard noises – horses neighing, swords clashing, zapping noises, and wolves howling.  
"I think we're ready to go back, Sheila," the girl told her cat. She bent over to set Sheila on the ground, but then everything went dark! A surprised Sheila meowed and ran away in fright! "Sheila!" Becca called out, "Where'd you go? What's happening?" Just then, the rotunda started to turn completely white, and a bright light surrounded it. Becca looked up and then shielded her eyes to prevent going blind. Then, a purple comet shot out from the top, followed by a blue comet, and then a red one, and several more comets that were blue, purple, red, and silver. Becca looked down and saw the fallen glitter from the comets floating away in different directions of the library. Then she gasped when she looked back up. A very large blast of indigo glitter fell from the rotunda, and sprinkled down onto Becca, covering her completely! The girl closed her eyes and waited for something else to happen…

* * *

When all the showers of glitter disappeared, Becca slowly opened her eyes and looked around. All the lights were back on, and everything seemed animated. She then looked at her hands, and saw that they, too, were animated. "I must be Bethylasia again!" she gasped. Becca, or Bethylasia as we now know her, turned to see her reflection in the mirror, and saw that her outfit had changed. She was now wearing a sky blue dress with a gold buttonaire on the upper right side of her bodice, white elbow-length gloves, a golden tiara with a red gem in the center, and a pearl necklace; her hair was also styled in a low bun.  
"Bethylasia, it's so good that you have returned!" said a voice that sounded similar to Mr. Dewey's. The girl turned around and saw the Pagemaster, along with the other members of the royal family, Sheila the cat, and all the talking books – Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Horror, and Science Fiction.  
"Grandfather!" Bethylasia beamed as she quickly curtseyed and ran to give the Pagemaster a hug.  
The Pagemaster hugged her back and then let go. Matthias and Natalia, along with the other royal children, smiled at Bethylasia as the Pagemaster stepped back a bit and said, "My dearest Bethylasia, I tried contacting you in a dream last night."  
Bethylasia shuddered in fear when she remembered her nightmare from the previous night. "Was it a nightmare, your highness?" Horror asked with fear.  
Bethylasia nodded as the Pagemaster continued, "There is a new crisis in the kingdom of Libralia. My beloved book of secrets has been stolen!"  
Everyone gasped with fear as Bethylasia asked, "What? Stolen? By who?"  
"We believe it was one of your grandfather's former friends," Natalia told her daughter, "A fire-obsessed warlock by the name of Dante!"  
"Fire is the biggest fear for us books, honey," Fantasy told Bethylasia with a look of worry.

Sheila gave a worried meow and rubbed her head against Bethylasia's dress as the Pagemaster cleared his throat and continued, "Yes, Dante. He's had a hatred for me and books for a long time, and if he has my book of secrets, then he may burn it, along with all the other books in the library!"  
All the talking books, with the exception of Sci-Fi, shuddered in fear and ran to hide behind Natalia and Mirabelle. Sci-Fi just gave a look of bravery and determination as she scoffed, "Oh, that man doesn't scare ME! I've dealt with fire lots of times!"  
"Sci-Fi, you may not be so lucky if you ever come face-to-face with Dante or his three henchwomen!" the Pagemaster told the lemon yellow book sternly.  
"He's right, dearest," Mystery added with concern, "Dante is much more powerful than you think – I've heard about him!"  
"Yes," said the Pagemaster, "Anyway, as I was saying, I need someone who's brave, strong, and determined to find Dante and bring me back my book of secrets." He and the others all looked at Bethylasia and the Pagemaster asked, "Do you have your book necklace, granddaughter?"  
Bethylasia gasped and remembered that she wasn't wearing her necklace since she entered Libralia. "Try looking in one of your dress pockets, honey!" Fantasy suggested.  
"What?" Bethylasia asked with confusion; she then felt around the sides of her skirt, and sure enough, there was a pocket on the left side! She dug her fingers into that pocket, and found her necklace! "There it is!" she grinned, "And it's good as new!"  
"Excellent!" said Matthias with a smile, "You may need it on your quest."  
"Q-quest?" Bethylasia stammered; she wasn't really prepared for another quest, but she wanted to help her grandfather in every way she could. "Umm… okay… when do I start?"  
"As soon as you, Sheila, and the books are ready!" the Pagemaster smiled, pointing to the cat and the talking books.  
"We're coming with ye, your highness!" Adventure smiled as he bowed and removed his bandana.

Sci-Fi stepped forward, pulled a test tube of white liquid out of her pages, and then dropped a little bit on top of herself. The liquid created a long, white stream, and then twirled around Sci-Fi a bit before it disappeared. Instead of her usual _Men in Black_-styled outfit, Sci-Fi was now wearing a black, long-sleeved tunic with a matching belt, a pair of white stockings, and black boots that reached up to her knees. "Bethylasia," she told the youngest princess, "You're gonna need all the help you can get on this quest. We'll be travelling to lesser known areas of the kingdom in order track Dante down. You need someone who's tough, loyal, and smart!"  
"Not to mention magical!" Fantasy added as she held up her magic wand.  
"And swash-buckling!" added Adventure as he held up his sword.  
"And good at forensics!" Mystery grinned as he held his magnifying glass up.  
"And a good companion like and the kitty!" Horror said with a look of cuteness in his eyes.  
Bethylasia looked at her friends, and was now given more hope and determination. "All right," she said with a determined smile, "For Grandfather's sake, I will go out and rescue the book!" Everyone clapped at cheered at the princess's new courage and determination to save Libralia once again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Five - The Journey Begins**

Two hours later, Bethylasia was dressed in a white long-sleeved shirt under an indigo dress that had gold trimming on the bodice, black flats, and a black cloak with a hood. She also had her hair styled in her usual low ponytail, and kept her book necklace safe in one of her skirt pockets. Matthias and Natalia told her that if anything should happen, then Bethylasia would show her necklace to prove that she was the princess of Libralia, and that she meant no harm. At the palace gates, Bethylasia, Sheila, and the books were getting ready to leave as the Pagemaster and the Royal family watched.  
Mirabelle gently placed her hand onto her sister's shoulder and said, "Be careful out there, Bethylasia. You were lost once, but we cannot lose you again."  
"She's right, sister," Alexander said to the youngest princess as he embraced her in a little hug, "But if you ever feel alone, then just think about us."  
"Uh, guys, she'll have the books and cat with her," Donovan stated with a little annoyance. His expression softened when he joined his brother and sisters in a group hug.  
Bethylasia broke away from the hug, and then gave her parents each a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck, daughter," Matthias said to his youngest child with moist eyes, "We'll all stay behind and protect the palace and library if anything should happen while you're gone."  
"I'll be back with the book of secrets soon," Bethylasia said with a brave face as she crossed her heart with her finger, "I promise!"  
"And we promise not to let anything happen to her," Fantasy told the royals. So the youngest princess and her friends walked through the open gates and looked back to see everyone waving goodbye.

Bethylasia and her friends walked down the path as the sun began sinking in the west. After several minutes of walking, Horror began to feel a little bored. "Are we there yet, mistress?" he asked the princess.  
"No, we're not, Horror," Bethylasia answered, "We've got a long way to go yet."  
"Oh, you're telling me!" Sci-Fi grumbled, "You're not gonna ask that question for the next several days over and over, are you, Horror?"  
"I might," Horror answered, "Because there's nothing to do while we're travelling along without any horses, or wagons, or anything!"  
"Well, find something to do, matey!" Adventure suggested with an annoyed look.  
Horror began to think for a while, and then something occurred to him! "I know!" he beamed, "I'll sing a song!"  
"As long as it's not going to be loud and annoying, I'll be okay with it," Sci-Fi said with an uninterested look.  
Mystery motioned for Bethylasia to look at him, and then he whispered, "Sci-Fi hasn't been herself lately. She's been rather moody for the past few days."  
Just then, Horror started happily singing loudly, "Tell everybody I'm on my way! New friends and new places to see!"  
As Horror sang, Sci-Fi and Adventure both covered their "ears" in annoyance. "Horror, what did I say about loud singing?" Sci-Fi asked loudly before she placed her hand over Horror's mouth to muffle out the noise.  
"With blue skies ahead," Horror sang through muffling under Sci-Fi's hand, "Yes, I'm on my way!" Adventure threw Horror into a hollow stump, and the hunchbook kept on singing, "And there's nowhere else that I'd rather be!" Horror eventually came out of the stump, and joined his friends as a voice from the heavens could be heard singing:

_Tell everybody I'm on my way_  
_And I'm loving every step I take_  
_With the sun beating down_  
_Yes, I'm on my way_  
_And I can't keep this smile off my face!_

At nighttime, Bethylasia and her friends sat around a campfire, eating roasted sausages that Mystery packed in his pages. The princess looked off in the distance and saw the royal palace of the Pagemaster; she felt sad to leave her family, but she also had the determination to save them, too.

_Cause there's nothing like seeing_  
_Each other again_  
_No matter what the distance between_  
_And the stories that we tell_  
_Will make you smile_  
_Oh, it really lifts my heart!_

The next day, Bethylasia and her friends stowed away on a wagon full of hay; the driver and horse were headed in the same direction the party wanted to go. Later on at night, everyone was sleeping underneath a blanket of stars and a crescent moon. Bethylasia slept underneath her cloak with Sheila on her belly, Sci-Fi slept next to Mystery, Fantasy slept beside Bethylasia, and Horror slept by Adventure, much to the pirate book's annoyance.

_So tell them all I'm on my way_  
_New friends and new places to see_  
_And to sleep under the stars_  
_Who could ask for more_  
_With the moon keeping watch over me?_

The next morning was rainy as the party walked through a forest. Sheila and Horror had a grand time jumping in puddles, Mystery muttered in disgust over his wet tuft of hair, and Fantasy produced an umbrella with her magic wand; she shared the umbrella with Bethylasia, Adventure, and Sci-Fi.  
That afternoon, the rain had stopped, and everyone stopped on the top of a hill to catch some warm breezes. Then, they all decided to go downhill and continue with their journey to find the book of secrets.

_Not the snow, not the rain_  
_Can change my mind_  
_The sun will come out, wait and see_  
_And the feeling of the wind in your face_  
_Can lift your heart_  
_Oh, there's nowhere I would rather be!_  
_Cause I'm on my way now_  
_Well and truly_  
_I'm on my way now!_

Later that evening, the party was on a path, stopped at a signpost pointing to different directions. "Let's see," Bethylasia wondered out loud, "If I were an evil warlock, where would I go?"  
Fantasy thought for a moment and said, "If I remember correctly, I think the Pagemaster said he lives just outside my section."  
"No, no, no!" Adventure insisted, "I distinctly remember the Pagemaster sayin' that Dante lives over by MY section!"  
"No, he lives by me!" Fantasy argued.  
"Me!" Adventure shot back.  
The two of them argued until Sci-Fi took them in each of her hands, and then whacked them together by their spines. "Enough!" Sci-Fi said sternly, "Maybe Dante lives by BOTH of you?"  
"And what direction is that, Miss Know-it-All?" Adventure asked Science Fiction.  
"Look!" Mystery said as he pointed to something down one path. Down that path were some people carrying lit torches so they could see in the night. "Do you suppose those people know?" Mystery asked, "They've got fire with them, and Dante LOVES fire. Maybe they're paying their debts to him?"  
Bethylasia started off unsure, but then she thought a bit and smiled, "Why don't you suppose they have fire with them? Let's follow them!"  
Everyone agreed, and they all decided to follow the princess. Then the voice in the heavens sang:

_Tell everybody I'm on my way_  
_And I just can't wait to be there_  
_With blue skies ahead_  
_Yes, I'm on my way_  
_And nothing but good times to share!_

Fantasy produced a little light with her wand, while Sci-Fi used one of her flashlights, and everyone walked down the path, following the people carrying torches.

_So tell everybody I'm on my way_  
_And I just can't wait to be home_  
_With the sun beating down_  
_Yes, I'm on my way_  
_And nothing but good times to show_  
_I'm on my way!_

"Yes, I'm on my way!" Horror sang out loud as he and his friends travelled down the path. Unknown to them, three people were watching them…

Author's Note: The song "On my Way" is from Brother Bear. ((c) Disney)


	7. Chapter 7

**Six - Dante's Hideout**

The three people watching Bethylasia and her friends were Rouge, Crimson, and Cinnamon. "Oh, just look at them!" Rouge whispered to her friends, "That precious princess and her pals are gonna go along with those poor, pitiful peasants to burn more stuff!"  
"Oooh!" Crimson smirked, "Maybe she'll decide to burn those bumbling books in that bonfire!"  
"Nonsense!" Rouge snapped, "That little glasses-wearing wrench is too nice to do that! I think she might have something else in mind, though?"  
"Like what?" Cinnamon asked.  
"Well, we'll just have to go back to Dante, and maybe he'll give us a clue or two?" Rouge suggested with an annoyed look, "Come on, girls!" So she and the other two ladies ran away as fast as they could to find Dante's lair.

Several minutes later, the three women had arrived in the Restricted Section at the broken down castle that once belonged to Malaria. Ever since the Pagemaster's evil cousin had been destroyed by Bethylasia, Dante had taken over and made the castle his own. Rouge, Crimson, and Cinnamon stood by the drawbridge and waited for the bridge to drop down and let them cross. When some fiery demons did that, the girls all walked into the vestibule of the castle, and then reached the door to the main room where Dante practiced his magic.  
The fiery warlock was experimenting with some flames when he noticed the girls barge in through the door as Rouge announced, "Your excellency!"  
He didn't like it when they just barged in without knocking, so he asked with a glare, "What do you ladies want? I was just practicing a future project when you just barged in! You know I want you three to knock first!"  
The three girls nervously bowed in front of him, and Cinnamon confessed, "We're sorry, Dante. You see, we were just scouting the Fantasy and Adventure sections when we…"  
"Who cares about where you were?" Dante asked furiously, "I want an understandable and good excuse for just barging in!"  
"Cinnamon WAS giving you a good excuse!" Rouge argued, "We want you to know that the Pagemaster's youngest granddaughter is back, and she's tagging along with the poor peasants!"  
Dante's expression turned to surprise as he asked, "Bethylasia is tagging along with peasants?"  
"Uh, yes," Rouge answered casually, "But she's also got her cat and her book friends."  
Dante gave an evil smile as he wondered, "Book friends? Now we're onto something."  
"What do you mean?" Crimson asked with interest.  
Dante just smirked as he walked up on a flight of stairs, and then slowly walked back down. Flames shot from tiny holes on the stair rails as he started singing:

_I know that your powers of retention_  
_Are as wet as wild hog's backside_  
_But thick as you are, pay attention!_  
_My words are a matter of pride_

After walking downstairs, the warlock approached Cinnamon, who gave a salute and a big smile. Then he approached Rouge and Crimson, who both giggled before their master scared them and made them fall backward onto some burning charcoals.

_It's clear from your vacant expressions_  
_The lights are not all upstairs_  
_But we're talking wizards and successions_  
_Even you can't be caught unaware!_

Rouge and Crimson yelled as they shot up from the charcoals and used some blankets to cool their butts off. Dante just kept on singing:

_So prepare for the chance of a lifetime_  
_Be prepared for sensational news!_  
_A shining new era_  
_Is tiptoeing nearer!_  
**Rouge:** And where do we feature?  
**Dante:** _(pinches her cheek) Just listen to teacher_  
_I know it sounds sordid_  
_But you'll be rewarded_  
_When at last I am given my dues_  
_And injustice deliciously squared_  
_Be prepared!_

At the last verse, Dante moved the rug the girls were standing on out from under them, making them fall backward again. This time, each of the women held a book of spells in their arms.  
"Yeah, be prepared!" cried Crimson, "We'll be prepared! For what?"  
"For the death of the royals!" bellowed Dante.  
"Why? Are they sick?" Cinnamon asked.  
"No, you fool, we're going to kill them!" Dante simply said, "Starting with Bethylasia."  
"Great idea!" grinned Rouge, "Who needs royalty?"  
"No royalty! No royalty!" the women sang out loud in a sing-song tone, "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"  
"Idiots!" shrieked Dante as he climbed the staircase again, "There will be a ruler!"  
Crimson nervously stammered, "B-but you said…"  
"I WILL BE THE PAGEMASTER!" Dante announced, "Stick with me, and there will never be literature again!"  
All the women cheered and called out, "LONG LIVE DANTE!"  
"LONG LIVE DANTE!" Dante's fiery demons repeated, "LONG LIVE DANTE!"

Later on, Dante was standing upon a high podium with his three henchwomen, while all the demons marched beside the podium and sang:

_It's great that we'll soon be connected_  
_With a ruler who'll be all-time adored!_  
**Dante:** _Of course, quid pro quo, you're expected_  
_To take certain duties on board_  
_The future is littered with prizes_  
_And though I'm the main addressee_  
_The point that I must emphasize is_  
_(to his henchwomen) YOU WON'T GET A SNIFF WITHOUT ME!_

Cinnamon fell backward with a yelp as Dante then used his magic to raise his podium up to the sky. All the demons and girls danced about with fiery magic as the warlock kept singing:

_So prepare for the coup of the century_  
_Be prepared for the murkiest scam_  
_Meticulous planning_  
_Tenacity spanning_  
_Decades of denial_  
_Is simply why I'll_  
_Be ruler undisputed_  
_Respected, saluted_  
_And seen for the wonder I am!_  
_Yes, my flames and ambitions are bared_  
_Be prepared!_

The demons played wicked-looking instruments while Rouge, Crimson and Cinnamon sang in unison, "Yes, our flames and ambitions are bared!"  
"Be prepared!" Dante finished singing before he let out an evil laugh; the girls and the demons all did the same as the "camera" moved away from Malaria's old castle.

Author's Note: The song "Be Prepared" is from The Lion King ((c) Disney)


	8. Chapter 8

**Seven - Meet Isabel**

In the meantime, Bethylasia, Sheila, and their book friends kept following the villagers carrying torches. Eventually, everyone reached the top of a hill, where a large scarecrow was standing on a tall stick surrounded by firewood, hay, and lots of smaller twigs and sticks. "Do you suppose this is like Guy Fawkes Night from the United Kingdom?" Mystery whispered.  
"Hmmm," Science Fiction said softly, "I'm not entirely sure. We'd better stick around to find out."  
As they came closer to the scarecrow in the bonfire, the scarecrow looked very familiar. In fact, it had ivory-colored cloth for a body, cream-colored straw on top of its head, and black fabric surrounding it – the scarecrow looked just like Malaria! "They must be celebrating the defeat of Malaria," Bethylasia wondered aloud.  
"How did you know that?" a young woman's voice said from behind her. The disguised princess and her friends turned around and saw a teenage girl who was about the same age as Bethylasia; she was wearing an orange and white dress with black flats, and she had light skin, dark blonde hair, and blue eyes.

The dark blonde girl took a look at Bethylasia and studied her closely. "Who are you?" the blonde asked, "You look very familiar."  
Bethylasia leaned in towards the girl's ear and whispered, "I am Bethylasia, the princess of Libralia."  
The blonde girl gasped with surprise and whispered, "Oh my gosh! You're the princess?"  
"Shhhh!" Sci-Fi shushed her, "Not so loud! We can't just give away her identity in front of your people!"  
The peasant girl looked down and gasped again when she saw books with faces, clothes, and limbs looking at her. "And these are the Pagemaster's guardians?" she asked the princess with disbelief.  
"Yes," Bethylasia whispered, "I'll explain later when the bonfire is over."  
"Oh, okay," the other girl whispered back, "But just so you know, my name is Isabel."  
Just then, a quartet of musicians played a few notes with their instruments. Everyone in the crowd turned to give their attention to a short and stout man dressed like a nobleman. "As mayor to the village of Ember Hollow," he announced as he stood in front of the scarecrow with a torch in his hand, "I am here to welcome all of you to our first bonfire honoring the defeat of the evil Malaria!" Everyone cheered and then went silent as the mayor continued, "On this very night, I shall choose a very special individual from our town to take my torch and cast the flames upon our bonfire. Then, we will all dance, sing, and celebrate! Now, raise your hand, and I will choose the lucky volunteer!"  
Everyone but Isabel, Bethylasia, and the books raised their hands. Bethylasia remembered the night when she confronted her grandfather's evil cousin, and wasn't ready to relive the memory just yet. Isabel, on the other, didn't seem to want to go near the flaming torch.

Fantasy saw Isabel's look of concern and said, "Oh, honey, everyone else is raising their hands to start the bonfire. Why aren't you doing the same?"  
Isabel looked at Fantasy with nervousness and answered, "I… I don't like fire. In fact, I'm scared of it."  
"Why?" Fantasy asked.  
Before Isabel could answer, the mayor pointed at Sci-Fi and said, "The living book dressed in black! You are the lucky volunteer this year!"  
Sci-Fi whooped in delight and then walked over to the mayor. The man handed her the torch, and then Science Fiction stood in front of the scarecrow and announced, "In celebration of Libralia's freedom from that evil sorceress, I give you a highly satisfying bonfire and a great time! LET THE PARTY BEGIN!" With that, Sci-Fi threw the torch onto the sticks and wood, creating lots of flames around the scarecrow resembling Malaria.  
Everyone in the crowd, including Sci-Fi, cheered loudly, and then began clapping their hands and dancing to the music played by the musical quartet. The lemon yellow book came up to a table with drinks and food, and then took a glass of wine.  
Bethylasia and the other books watched Sci-Fi guzzle down her drink with confusion before Mystery told everyone, "I told you. Sci-Fi hasn't been herself for the past few days!"  
"I wonder if she's going through that special time of month again," Fantasy said as she rolled her eyes.  
"Yes," Mystery answered with annoyance, "That – and there's also the fact that she's on another quest to fight evil again. Not a very good combination in my book!"  
"But you ARE a book, Mystery," Horror said.  
Mystery chuckled and said, "Oh, Horror. When I say 'my book,' I mean that Sci-Fi's time of the month mixed in with fighting evil is a toxic combination in my point of view."  
"Oh," Horror said, understanding what Mystery had said.  
Mystery then looked at Bethylasia, and indicated to her that she should retrieve Sci-Fi. Bethylasia nodded, and then walked away to pull Science Fiction away from the refreshments table.  
"What's the big idea?!" Sci-Fi pouted to the princess, "I was enjoying myself in honor of helping you defeat that evil…"  
"I know," Bethylasia said firmly, "But don't forget – we're also here to find out where to find Dante!"

The princess's loud mention of the evil warlock made the musicians stop playing their music, and everyone else stop what they were doing and gasp at her. The disguised princess immediately put her hood over her head and her hand over her mouth. "Uh… sorry, everyone!" Bethylasia said sheepishly, "But you see, I… I-I'm having too much fun!"  
Everyone laughed happily and then went back to dancing and playing music. "Nice cover-up, lassie!" Adventure grinned at the princess.  
"Thanks," Bethylasia smiled before she looked around and remembered something. "Hey! Have you guys seen Fantasy and Isabel?"  
"We're over here, honey!" Fantasy called. Bethylasia and the others turned to see that Fantasy and the dark blonde girl were a few feet away from the celebrating. "I was talking with Isabel," Fantasy continued, "And she wants us to follow her back to her home. What do you say?"  
Bethylasia smiled at her friends, and everyone agreed to go with Isabel. Even Sci-Fi decided that she didn't want to just run around and drink a lot of wine. "Alright," she said, "Let Isabel lead the way!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Eight - A Warm Welcome and Directions**

Isabel led Bethylasia, Sheila, and the books back to her village down a little path. Soon they arrived at the village of Ember Hollow. "This is my village," Isabel explained to her new friends, "My family and I have lived here years and years."  
"I see," Bethylasia said with observation, "It looks like a decent place to live." All around her were empty shops and houses; everyone was at the bonfire.  
"It may look decent," Isabel stated, "But every day is worse than the last!"  
"What do you mean?" Mystery asked with concern.  
Isabel took a deep breath and said, "This evil warlock you mentioned – Dante – his three henchwomen raid our village every day and force me and my people to give them our money so they can embezzle it on weapons and materials for Dante's magic!"  
Horror gasped and said with shock, "That's terrible!"  
"It is!" Isabel said with gloominess, "That's why my family and everyone else are very poor." She then slumped her head and let out a sad sigh.

Soon, everyone reached a small cottage on the outskirts of the village. Isabel went up to the front door and opened it slowly. "Isabel, is that you?" a kind woman's voice asked from inside.  
"Yes, Mother," Isabel answered as she went in, "I've brought some new friends in to see us."  
"New friends, eh?" a man's voice asked, "Who are they, my daughter?"  
"The Princess Bethylasia and her loyal book subjects," Isabel replied, sounding important.  
The man and woman inside the house both gasped and man said, "Well, bring them in, Isabel!"  
Isabel led the princess and the books into the cottage and in the living room were the man and the woman – Isabel's parents. The father had light skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes; he wore a cream-colored shirt under a brown vest, orange breeches, gray stockings, and brown shoes.  
The mother also had light skin, and she had light, sandy brown hair and green eyes; she was wearing a light green shirt under a brown dress, dark brown wooden shoes, and a gray scarf on her head.

Sheila looked around and saw a black cat sleeping up on a bookshelf. The calico meowed out loud, and then the back cat woke up with alertness. "I see that your cat sees Hazel," Isabel giggled to Bethylasia.  
The princess smiled back as she removed her cloak hood, and then Isabel's parents bowed to her in respect. "Your highness," Isabel's father said as he stood up straight, "What brings you and your subjects into Ember Hallow at this time?"  
Bethylasia cleared her throat and said, "I'm on a quest to find the Pagemaster's book of secrets. My grandfather said it was stolen by the evil warlock Dante!"  
The peasant family gasped in shock, and then Isabel's mother whispered, "Oh, Lester!"  
Lester, Isabel's father, comforted his wife by saying, "It's okay, Marianne. If the princess can destroy a sorceress, she can certainly defeat a warlock!"  
"Yeah," Bethylasia continued, "My friends and I are looking for the best way to find Dante so that we can get the book of secrets back as quickly as possible!"  
Lester rubbed his chin and said, "Hmmm. Dante is very dangerous, and the quest for finding him is not easy at all."  
"Please, Father, her highness must know!" Isabel pleaded to her father.  
Lester sighed and explained, "Dante's lair is way off in the Restricted Section. It's past the Fantasy section where we are now…" Fantasy grinned and nodded at that part before Lester continued, "And it is past the Adventure section's villages and cities, too. There will be thieving gypsies, wicked literary demons, and even some of Dante's minions, too!"  
"We can take it, right?" Science Fiction said with a look of determination.  
Bethylasia and the other books nodded and then Isabel said bravely, "I'm coming with her."  
Marianne gasped and asked with disbelief, "Isabel, why?"  
"I need to face my fear of fire sooner or later," Isabel answered, "The princess and her friends need someone who's been through a lot, and can go through more!"  
"What do you mean?" Bethylasia asked with a raised brow.  
"I'm sure Isabel will explain things later," Lester replied to the princess. He turned to Bethylasia and said, "You keep my daughter safe, your highness."  
"We won't let anything happen to her," Bethylasia reassured with a determined smile.

* * *

A while later, Isabel and her parents were outside the cottage with Bethylasia, Sheila, and the books. Hazel the black cat wondered what was going on from beside the front door, so she walked out to investigate. Sheila looked at Hazel with surprise in her eyes, but then she sniffed at the black cat's nose. Hazel nuzzled her nose against Sheila's cheek, and the two of them purred in content. "Something tells me that Hazel should come along and protect the princess's cat," Lester chuckled.  
Isabel picked up Hazel in her arms, and then gave her parents a reassuring smile, telling them that she was going to be okay. Marianne hugged her daughter with tears in her eyes, and then Lester did the same.  
"It's alright," Sci-Fi softly assured Isabel's parents, "We'll find the book of secrets, and then there will be happiness again in Libralia. I promise!"  
"Wish me luck, Mother and Father," Isabel told her parents as she walked off with her new friends, "I'll face my fear!"  
With that, everyone waved goodbye, and then the large group of friends walked off towards the entrance to Ember Hollow. Unknown to anyone, three familiar evil women and some fiery demons were watching them…


	10. Chapter 10

**Nine - A Fiery Forest!**

"Oh, would you look at that?" Rouge whispered to her colleagues as they saw Bethylasia and her friends walk off, "It looks like the princess has decided to be friends with a pitiful peasant, after all!"  
"What's wrong with that?" Cinnamon asked softly.  
"What's wrong?!" Rouge repeated with a frown, "Princesses and peasantry don't go together!" Some of the fiery demons flew over to stop the travelling party, but Rouge snapped her fingers and sent them back. "And where you think you like fireballs are going?" she asked them with a frown.  
"Either way, we have to stick with the plan," whispered Crimson.  
"That's right!" Rouge remembered before she gathered her friends to whisper something to them.

In the meantime, Bethylasia and her friends had just left the village and were walking into a wooded area. "Oh, I don't like the looks of this!" Isabel said with fear in her voice, "It's dark, the wind is cold, and those woods are infamous for having wolves, and bats, and bears, and big, wild cats!"  
"Oh, I think we're getting close to my section, then!" Horror whimpered, "I hate everything that goes on in there!"  
"Ah, 'tis just a few trees and maybe some wildlife," Adventure scoffed, "But I've got me sword and me other pirate weapons in me pages!"  
"Yeah!" agreed Sci-Fi, "My pages are chock-full of all kinds of weapons! And besides, Adventure and I are far scarier than anything we'll encounter!"  
"What about Morlocks?" Mystery asked, remembering an instance when he and the other books had been transformed into animals; they were travelling with Bethylasia on her first quest, and they had gone into the world of The Time Machine, where they had to fight off the notorious Morlocks with what little they had.

Mystery's mention of Morlocks made Isabel shiver in fear. Bethylasia gently placed her arm onto the peasant girl's shoulder, giving her some comfort. "Don't worry," the princess assured, "We're miles away from the Dimension of Science Fiction. I don't think we'll find any Morlocks in these woods."  
From behind one of the large trees in the woods, Dante's henchwomen gave each other evil smirks, and then motioned for the fiery demons to venture out and cause trouble.  
While the heroes and heroines went into the woods, Hazel the black cat began to sense there was trouble. She gave a look of fear, and then she meowed and jumped onto Adventure's head in terror. "Arrgh!" the pirate book cried with shock and annoyance, "Get off me, ye little black panther! What are ye so worried about, anyway?"  
Just then, Sheila could sense something was wrong; she meowed in fear like crazy. "Adventure, I think they're trying to tell us something!" Bethylasia said as she tried calming Sheila down.  
"Uh, guys and gals," Fantasy said with worry, "You're not going to like what I see!"  
Everyone looked over to where Fantasy was flying, and there was something frightening in the woods – fire burning trees and bushes!

Isabel screamed with terror and ran off into another part of the woods. "NO! Isabel, come back!" Bethylasia cried with deep concern. She turned to Sci-Fi and Adventure and told them, "Sci-Fi! Adventure! Go find Isabel!"  
The two books nodded and then ran after Isabel.  
"Come on, honey!" Fantasy cried out, "We need to put out this fire!" She then took out her wand, waved it, and then shot some water at a few flames.  
Bethylasia worriedly looked around until she saw a small pond of water. "Water!" she said to herself, "But how am I gonna carry it?"  
As if on cue, Mystery came up and took a bucket out from his pages! "Here, Bethylasia, use this!" he said.  
The princess immediately scooped some water into the bucket and ran towards the flames. "Hurry, honey!" said Fantasy, "These flames are just getting bigger and bigger no matter what I do!"  
And indeed, they were! Fantasy tried her best as putting the fire out with her magic wand, but it didn't help! "Maybe we need a page from you to help?" Bethylasia suggested.  
"I think I might know one!" Fantasy replied with a smirk.

Meanwhile, Sci-Fi and Adventure ran as fast as they could, trying to find Isabel. "Isabel!" Sci-Fi called, "Isabel, where are you?"  
Adventure stopped when he pointed a familiar girl out to Sci-Fi. "Look!" he said.  
Isabel was inside a tree hollow, curled up in a fetal position. Sci-Fi ran over to Isabel and cried, "Isabel, what are you doing?! There's a fire, and you are in grave danger!"  
"I'm scared of fire!" Isabel shot at her with tears in her eyes.  
"But Bethylasia and the others need us!" Adventure insisted, "Come on, lassie!"  
Isabel looked up and moved her head a bit. "Are you with us or not?" Sci-Fi asked impatiently.  
Finally, the young peasant gave a determined look and said, "I made a promise to my family. I'll go and help!" So she climbed out from the hollow and ran back to the princess with Adventure and Sci-Fi.

Back at the scene of the fire, Horror and Mystery were looking through Fantasy's pages, hoping to find a story to save everyone. "It's page three hundred and twenty-eight!" the fairy book said.  
"I found it!" said Horror, "_The Snow Queen_!"  
"Perfect!" said Mystery, "Then maybe the snow and ice will freeze those flames?"  
Horror tore the page out of Fantasy and said, "Let's hope so!"  
The hunchbook then gave Bethylasia the page, and the princess made it into a paper airplane. "Ready, Fantasy?" she asked when she finished.  
"I'm ready!" the fairy book replied. She then used her wand to zap the paper airplane and turn it into a windy blizzard.  
The page-turned blizzard blew very hard and surrounded the flames, putting out most of them. "It's working!" Bethylasia exclaimed.  
Just then, Isabel, Science Fiction, and Adventure arrived. "How come it turned to winter all of a sudden?" Isabel asked.  
"Thank Fantasy!" smiled Bethylasia before her expression dropped, "But I think we need more help! Adventure, do you have any stories to put the flames out?"  
Adventure thought for a moment, and then said, "Isabel, turn to me page seven hundred and eighty-nine!"  
Isabel opened the pirate book up, and searched his pages until she found the right one. "_Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea_?" she asked.  
"That's the one!" Adventure answered, "Tear it out and let Fantasy and Sci-Fi do the rest!"  
Isabel tore the page out of Adventure, and then Sci-Fi took it and dropped a bit of substance from one of her test tubes on it. "Stand back!" the lemon yellow book ordered.

Everyone stood aside as the page transformed into a giant tidal wave and washed all the flames away! A leviathan-like submarine was in that wave as it rammed all the hidden fire demons away. When the steam and smoke cleared, there were a few burned trees, but no one was hurt. Everyone cheered and Isabel sighed with relief, "Thank goodness that's over!" She picked up Hazel and stroked her fur, making her purr.  
"Well, don't forget," Adventure told the peasant with a smile, "Ye helped save us all!"  
"That's right!" said Bethylasia as she hugged Isabel, "You made the right decision to come along with me and my friends!"  
"I'd say we should give three cheers for Isabel!" announced Mystery. Then he and the others cheered, "Hip-hip-hooray! Hip-hip-hooray! Hip-hip-HOORAY!"  
"Alright, that's enough celebration!" Sci-Fi said with annoyance, "Let's move on and see if we can find any more clues leading to Dante's place!"  
"Oh, Sci-Fi, why did you have to spoil all the fun?" Fantasy asked.  
"Come on!" the yellow book scoffed, "We're here on a quest, and we've got someone afraid of fire with us. Aren't you glad I wasn't with you guys when that Richard kid you always talk about wasn't here?"  
"What's wrong with Sci-Fi?" Isabel asked Bethylasia and Mystery.  
Mystery answered plainly, "Oh, she has low patience for people who are scared easily or who tend to be shy. She's also going through a certain time of the month that women and female books experience."  
"I know just what you mean," Bethylasia said with a disgusted nod. She turned to Isabel and said, "Anyway, Sci-Fi also likes to be in charge and think that she doesn't need a Prince Charming to come and rescue her." Mystery gave a shocked look, but then Bethylasia added, "Except for maybe Mystery. He's her husband now!"  
Mystery smiled as Isabel changed the subject. "Your highness, have you ever had a Prince Charming come and save you?" she asked, "I know it kinda sounds cliché when you're a princess, but I'm just curious."  
Bethylasia became dumbfounded. No one ever asked her about a strong, handsome man coming to rescue her – let alone a prince – before. "Um… I don't know if… actually, no," she answered, "I've never had anyone rescue me. In fact, last year, I actually saved the whole kingdom of Libralia from a curse on my own!"  
"She's right," Sci-Fi added with a smirk, "Bethylasia doesn't really need a handsome prince to save her royal ass! She's got friends like me, and Adventure, and Mystery, and her grandfather – the Pagemaster, himself!"  
Mystery just did a face palm in annoyance as everyone kept on walking out of the forest.


	11. Chapter 11

**Ten - The Prince of Writertopia**

A couple of hours later, Dante was fuming with anger after his henchwomen told him that his first attempt to stop Bethylasia had failed. "How can this be?!" he shrieked with rage, "I send you three ladies and my minions to go out and burn everyone alive, and a snow storm and a tidal wave is what happens next?"  
"It's not our fault, sir," Cinnamon pleaded, "It was…"  
"The fault of that youngest princess and her little friends!" Dante finished with a yell. He rammed his fist into a wall, creating a smoky hole.  
"Holy smoke!" Crimson whispered, "No pun intended!"  
Dante calmed down a bit and said with a frown, "I'll need to think of another way. Maybe I should focus more on certain loved ones of Bethylasia's…" He suddenly became lost in thought as he thought of a different plan.  
"What's he doing?" Cinnamon asked her friends.  
"Shhh!" Rouge shushed, "He's scratching another itch!"  
"He doesn't look itchy to me," Cinnamon whispered. Rouge just smacked her on the back of the head.  
After a little bit of thinking, Dante gave a wicked smirk and softly said, "Yes. Maybe I'll do something more cruel and burning with hurt!" He rubbed his fingers against his thumb and created a tiny flame with the friction.

* * *

Somewhere just outside the borders of Libralia (close to the Adventure and Fantasy sections) was a kingdom known as Writertopia. For many years, the monarchs of that kingdom were great allies and friends to the Pagemaster's ancestors from Libralia. Inside the beautiful white castle, the current king and queen, Jedediah and Lucinda, were sitting at their thrones waiting for someone. Jedediah had sandy brown hair with gray sideburns, fair skin, and brown eyes; he was dressed in a regal suit with Writertopia's colors – indigo, silver and purple.  
Lucinda had light skin, chestnut brown hair with a gray streak, and blue eyes; she was wearing an indigo-purple court dress with a transparent blue train in the back. "Oh, where could our son be?" the queen asked with worry, "I fear he spends too much time with his animals, using them to help him fight off dragons and basilisks!"  
Jedediah sighed and said, "I wouldn't worry about basilisks and dragons if I were you, dear. What I'm worried about is his reckless behavior – running off and playing pranks on our castle staff!"

Just then, the door opened, and in marched a young man in his early twenties. He had chestnut brown hair and blue eyes, and he was wearing a white shirt under an indigo vest, a matching cravat, a black belt, a pair of gray slacks, and black shoes with gold buckles. The young man smiled and bowed before the king and queen.  
"Andrew!" the queen gasped with disappointment and frustration, "This is the third time today that you've been late for lessons!"  
"Yes," added the king, "Your mother and I have been waiting for twenty minutes to hear how much you've practiced for your speech when you become prince regent in three weeks!"  
Andrew was the prince of Writertopia, and he didn't always enjoy royal expectations that his parents made him prepare for. The prince gasped with shock, "My speech preps?!" He then searched his vest and pant pockets until he pulled out a few pieces of paper with words written on them. Andrew then cleared his throat and read a little bit, "On this day, that I am your prince regent of Writertopia… um, I am eternally blessed and grateful to uh, look upon my people…"  
"Andrew, you don't sound dignified enough," Lucinda pointed out to him.  
The prince groaned a bit and continued with more dignity in his voice, "Look upon my people as if they were my own flesh and blood!" He cleared his throat again, and then looked down at his notes.  
"Oh, Andrew, you should have that speech memorized by now!" Jedediah said with disappointment as he did a face palm, "You've been out doing your own things again, haven't you?"  
Andrew gave an annoyed look and protested, "Come on, Dad. You know I love sword fighting and riding horses! Doesn't every prince love doing those things?"  
"Yes, that is true," Jedediah stated with a frown, "But there are other responsibilities when it comes to being heir to the throne – which you are – like practicing speeches, studying laws, etiquette, and finding a suitable wife!"  
"Your father is right," Lucinda added, "And as far as we're concerned, you're headed towards being a poor ruler, because of your indolence to lessons and your rejection to all the princesses from different kingdoms that you've met!"  
Andrew became more annoyed as he argued, "Those girls are all the same – whiny and spoiled drama queens who view me as another clichéd Prince Charming!"  
"Now, Andrew!" his father reprimanded him, "Remember that we haven't seen about the two princesses of Libralia yet. The Pagemaster's son Matthias has two beautiful daughters, and I bet one of them…"  
"Is another teenage brat who wants a handsome knight in shining armor to sweep her off her feet!" Andrew "finished." He heaved a heavy sigh and said, "Good day. I'm going to my chambers to… study my speech." He bowed and then left the throne room to go up a staircase.

When Andrew had gone, Lucinda heaved her own heavy sigh and said to her husband with disappointment, "That son of ours doesn't learn, does he? I wish sooner or later that he'd stop being a smart-alec, settle down, and marry a suitable princess!"  
"Lucinda, dear, please calm down," Jedediah assured her, "Don't remember the days when you were young? You were quite the princess – not just some clichéd dreamer or damsel in distress!" He chuckled at the last few words.  
Lucinda managed a small smile when she remembered her youth, and the day she met her future husband. "Oh yes," she sighed, "I remember now. And I remember when we first met. We could hardly stand each other for a long time!" She chuckled a little bit before continuing, "But after getting to know one another, we made marriage plans, and tied the knot. I just wish our son would do the same when he finds the right girl – hopefully one of the Pagemaster's granddaughters, and then our kingdoms would unite!"

That night, up in his chambers, Andrew finished writing a note that told his parents he was off on a journey to find his "destiny." This is what the note said:

_Dear Mother and Dad,_  
_I'm fed up with being cooped up in this castle, and I want to make my own decisions. I'm going off on a journey to find my destiny – the girl of my dreams that I can truly be happy with. Don't worry, because I'll be back within three weeks – in time to recite that speech for becoming prince regent. I love you and wish me luck!_  
_Andrew_

The prince sighed and set the note on the desk beside his bed. Then he put on a black cloak with a hood, and then bent down to look under his bed. A few seconds later, Andrew pulled out a long rope made out of old clothing and bed sheets; for the past couple of days, he had been planning to run away, and now he was finally doing it. As he lowered the rope out his window, Andrew stopped to think for a moment and thought about staying in the castle. But then he remembered the note and his "destiny," so he continued lowering the rope.  
A few minutes later, after climbing down the rope, Andrew hastily hid the rope under a thick rosebush, looked around, and then ran off, clutching his favorite Templar sword upon his belt.


	12. Chapter 12

**Eleven - Wolf Attack!**

In the meantime, Bethylasia, Isabel, the cats, and the books had just left the forest when they arrived at an open meadow. Clouds were up in the sky, as if it were ready to snow or rain. A cold wind swept past the princess and her friends. Sheila and Hazel meowed with fright and hid behind their respective mistresses. "Oh, master, I don't like the look of this meadow!" Horror said to Bethylasia with worry and fear, "Sanctuary, sanctuary!"  
"Oh, we can't be in your section, can we, Horror?" Bethylasia asked.  
"No," said Sci-Fi as she looked around, "I think we're somewhere between the Fantasy and Adventure sections."  
Fantasy shivered a bit and said, "Something in my table of contents tells me that there might be trouble afoot!"  
"What do you mean?" asked Isabel with concern.  
"You see, honey, I have wolves in some of my stories," Fantasy answered, "And they're all mean and vicious! I got Red Riding Hood's wolf, the Three Little Pigs' Big Bad Wolf, and…" Her sentence was cut off when she heard some menacing growling and howling from behind her. "Packs of wild wolves that work together to tear us apart!" Fantasy finished with fear.

Everyone turned around and gasped with horror at what they saw – a pack of twenty or so gray wolves looking at them with angry and hungry eyes and sharp teeth. "What do we do?" Mystery asked.  
"I know!" answered Isabel, "Run! That's what I'd do!" She grabbed Hazel and ran off with Mystery following her! The wolves turned on them and immediately ran to catch them.  
"No, wait!" Sci-Fi called out with an annoyed frown, "Come back!"  
"Come on!" Adventure ordered as he took up his sword, "We've got to help!"  
"He's right!" said Sci-Fi added as she reached into her pages and pulled out a long, Templar-like sword, "My space sword has never failed me for years, and it won't fail me again!"  
Horror gave a thoughtful look and then exclaimed, "I have wolves and other evil animals in my stories, too! Hold on, Isabel, I'll save you!" He picked up a long stick that was lying on the ground and then ran to help his friends as he held the stick in the air.

Watching her friends go off to fight the wolves made Bethylasia remember her old fear of dangerous animals. She remembered when her best friend from the real world was killed by a grizzly bear, and how Malaria transformed into that same bear right before her eyes! "Come on, Fantasy!" Bethylasia said with courage and determination, "We've got to stop those wolves! Into my arms, Sheila!"  
The princess picked up her cat and then ran to where the wolves went, while Fantasy followed her in the air.

Meanwhile, Isabel and Mystery ran as fast as they could through the meadow's tall grass, but the wolves caught up with them. Mystery picked up a large rock and threw it at one wolf, hitting its head and knocking it out. "Isabel, find me another large rock!" Mystery ordered the peasant, "The wolves are gaining on us!"  
Isabel hastily looked around on the ground for another rock, but then a wolf pounced onto her back, knocking her down! Isabel screamed as the wolf was about to bite her scalp, but Mystery rammed it away, making it yelp.  
"Sanctuary!" a familiar voice shouted as another wolf was hit in the head with a stick. Horror jumped in front of Isabel to protect her and then swung his stick at the wolves again. However, one wolf grabbed the stick in its jaws and snapped it in two, making Horror scream!  
"Oh, no ye don't!" a familiar pirate's voice shouted as another wolf was sliced in the side by a sword. Adventure and Sci-Fi arrived to face the wolves with their swords, and then Bethylasia appeared with Fantasy at her side.  
"Fantasy, make sure Sheila and Hazel are okay!" Bethylasia ordered the fairy book. Fantasy nodded with determination as she swooped down and picked up one cat in each arm, flying off to a safer part of the meadow.

The wolves turned their attention to Sci-Fi and Mystery, growling and barking as they surrounded them. Sci-Fi charged at the animals with a war cry and slashed them with her powerful sword. Suddenly, one of the wolves jumped on her and bit her on her upper left arm; Bethylasia kicked that wolf away while Adventure charged at another wolf with his own sword. The pirate book managed to stab his sword into the wolf's back, killing it. Then, Science Fiction snarled at the wolves like a wild cat, making them so terrified of her and Adventure; all the wolves ran off in defeat as Sci-Fi yelled, "That's right! RUN AWAY, YOU COWARDLY CANINES!" She then looked at Isabel with a frown and was about to scold her for running away when she felt a sharp pain in her left arm.  
"Oh no!" cried Bethylasia, "Sci-Fi's hurt! We've got to find a source of water so that I can wash her wounds."  
"Never mind that," Sci-Fi said, "I have a first aid kit on my fiftieth page. Maybe that will help?"  
Bethylasia looked in Sci-Fi's pages, and sure enough, there was a first aid kit, along with two pairs of rubber gloves on page fifty.

Bethylasia let Isabel put on one pair of gloves while the princess put on the other pair so that they wouldn't get any germs while dressing Sci-Fi's wound. Fantasy used her wand to produce a small pail of water and a washcloth to clean her friend's injury. Isabel thanked her as she took the cloth and got it wet in the water. Sheila and Hazel slowly came out from hiding as they approached the humans and the books.  
"It's okay, Sci-Fi," Isabel said nervously as she squeezed some water out of the cloth, "I'm not going to hurt you."  
Science Fiction just glared at her and stood up. "Hey, hold still!" Fantasy told her friend as Isabel tried applying the wet cloth to the yellow book's injury.  
When Isabel finally put the cloth on Sci-Fi's arm, the book screamed out, "OOOOUUUCH!" Hazel and Sheila hid behind Mystery and Horror as Sci-Fi shouted to Isabel, "That hurt!"  
"Well, if you held still, it wouldn't hurt as much!" Isabel shot back.  
"If you hadn't just run away from those animals, my injury wouldn't have got here!" Sci-Fi said with a glare.  
"If you hadn't made us move out of the forest, then those wolves wouldn't have showed up!" Isabel argued back.  
"Honey, those wolves are nobody's fault," Fantasy assured Isabel before glaring at Sci-Fi, "I just wish YOU would be a little nicer to this poor girl! She's timid!"  
"Maybe Miss Isabel should learn to be less timid and face her damn fears!" Sci-Fi shot back.  
"And maybe YOU need to learn to control your temper!" Bethylasia angrily told Sci-Fi before taking a deep breath. "Now, hold still, Sci-Fi!" the princess said with less anger, "Isabel and I just want to help you."  
Sci-Fi calmed down a bit and winced when Isabel applied the wet cloth to her arm again. Isabel remembered something and said, "By the way, I want to thank all of you… for saving my life and Mystery's."  
"Yes," Mystery added with a small smile, "Thank you."  
Sci-Fi's expression softened and turned to a small smile as she looked at Isabel and said, "You're welcome."

* * *

In another part of the meadow, a certain disguised prince was running when he suddenly heard some wolves howling. "Oh no!" Andrew said to himself with worry, "Sounds like I'm in one of those old tellings of popular fairy tales that got cleaned up for children in the real world." Cautiously, he pulled out his sword and held it out. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" he called out, "I've got a Templar sword, and I'm not afraid to use it!"  
Back at their part of the meadow, Bethylasia and her friends heard that voice. "You guys hear that?" Bethylasia asked as she finished dressing Sci-Fi's injured arm with a cloth bandage.  
"I sure did!" said Fantasy with a smile, "I wouldn't be surprised if it sounded like a handsome prince for either you or Isabel!" She chuckled at the last few words.  
Sci-Fi just rolled her eyes and asked, "Fantasy, what is it with you and princes?"  
"Oh, Sci-Fi, surely you know that almost all of my fairy tales end with maidens and princesses finding happiness by marrying a handsome and lovable prince!" Fantasy answered with a cheerful laugh.  
"She's right," Bethylasia said dreamily, "That voice sounded like it would belong to a handsome and lovable man."  
"Oh no," Adventure moaned, "Now our brave princess is falling into a love spell – I can tell!"  
"Either way, I think we should save romance for later and continue our quest to find that book of secrets!" Mystery said with determination, "Let's keep going!"  
"He's right!" Bethylasia said as she snapped from her love trance, "Come on! The sooner we find Dante's hideout, the sooner we can get that book back!" So she and the others stood up from where they were sitting, and then walked towards a spot where the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds.


	13. Chapter 13

**Twelve - The Gypsy Girl**

A few minutes later, Bethylasia and her friends had just left the meadow when they arrived at the borders of a different town. "Where are we?" asked Isabel, "I don't remember seeing this town on any map before."  
"That's because you live in my section, honey," Fantasy smiled.  
Adventure sniffed the air and said, "Ye smell that? Tis the smell of fresh fishes! That means we're close to the Isle of Adventure! Lots of me stories start off in cities and towns with harbors in them!"  
"Oh yeah – that's right!" Bethylasia said with a snap of her fingers, "For example, like _Treasure Island_ and _Gulliver's Travels_!"  
"Exactly!" Adventure laughed with glee, "Come on, me hearties, let's see if there's anyone who can help us!"  
The pirate book ecstatically led the way, with the girls and the books following him. "Oh, wait for me!" Horror called as he tried catching up.

When everyone got into the town limits, Bethylasia saw many people walking by her and her friends, and she tried asking, "Uh, excuse me? I'm wondering if you…"  
All the townspeople were too busy shopping and working that they didn't have any time to stop and answer any questions.  
Horror, meanwhile, was distracted by some music playing nearby. "Master, listen to that music!" he called out to Bethylasia.  
The disguised princess kept her cloak hood over her head as she, Isabel, the cats, and the books went over to see where the music was coming from.  
The sound source belonged to a group of gypsies, who were playing instruments and dancing with some animals. "Horror, wait a minute!" Sci-Fi softly called to the hunchbook as she pulled him back, "These are gypsies – they're not always suitable to trust, you know!"  
One of the young female gypsies was performing with a horse colt, a monkey, and a bear cub. She looked over and saw the travelling group with a grin. The gypsy was very beautiful with her olive skin, dark hair tied in a high ponytail by a red ribbon, and brown eyes; she was wearing an indigo dress over a teal shirt exposing her shoulders, a red cloth with stars and a moon printed on it, black ballet flats, gold jewelry, and a golden yellow locket around her neck.

Isabel looked down and saw an upside down hat full of coins next to the gypsies, which indicated that they were dancing for money. Isabel reached into her pocket and pulled out a little penny, placing it into the hat. The gypsy girl smiled at the peasant until she looked over and saw her friends stop playing music. The bear cub grunted with fear and ran into a nearby tent, with the horse colt following it.  
Bethylasia looked around, and then saw three men in uniforms walking down the streets. "Who are those guys?" she asked Adventure.  
"I think those are men who work for the town's mayor, lassie!" the pirate book answered, "We'd better stay back to make way for them!"  
As the travelling group stepped away, the gypsy girl's monkey pounced over to take the hat full of coins; instead, the coins fell onto the street and scattered everywhere! The gypsies ran into their tent while the girl in blue knelt down and picked the coins up into the hat. However, the three men in uniforms stopped her.  
"Well, well, well!" one of the officers (who was skinny with a black goatee) scoffed, "It looks like we have another thieving gypsy right under our noses!"  
"Thieving?!" the gypsy said with a glare, "You three are sadly mistaken. My friends and I earned this money ourselves!"  
"Oh, that's something I haven't heard in a long time!" an overweight officer sarcastically scoffed.  
"Gypsies also lie to get out of trouble, too, you know!" the third, short officer said with a frown.  
"Lying? Me?" the gypsy girl asked angrily as the skinny officer took her by the wrist, "I would never!"  
As she and her friends watched from an alley, Bethylasia became angry and disgusted at the sight of the gypsy girl being prosecuted. She went out and decided to do something about it, despite Sci-Fi's warnings.

In the meantime, the three officers decided to take the gypsy girl away to be prosecuted somewhere else. "You'll just have to tell your story to the judge and see what happens then!" the fat officer yelled at the gypsy.  
"Let her go!" Bethylasia ordered from behind the officers.  
"Oh, what do we have here?" the skinny officer asked, "A beggar girl? Shouldn't you be in the workhouse?"  
The disguised princess reached into her skirt pocket, pulled out her necklace, and shouted as she showed the book charm, "By order of Princess Bethylasia of Libralia!"  
All the guards removed their hats and bowed as they let go of the gypsy and asked with shock, "Princess Bethylasia? W-what are you doing here?"  
The gypsy girl also gasped with shock as Bethylasia told the men, "I'm on a quest for something my grandfather lost, and I want to know if you actually SAW this gypsy girl steal anything!"  
"Uh, no, not really!" the short guard said nervously.  
"Well then, if you didn't see her, then there's no proof that she's guilty," the princess stated with her hands on her hips.  
"I guess not, your highness," the tall officer said, "We all beg your pardon, then!"  
As the officers prepared to leave, Bethylasia called to them, "And remember that today you're lucky I don't have my royal guards with me!" The officers went off as Bethylasia looked over to see if the gypsy girl was still around. All that remained was a tent with its flap open.

The disguised princess then turned back and motioned for her book friends and Isabel to join her again. When the peasant, books and cats came to her, Isabel said to Bethylasia with a grin, "That was great how you told those officers off and stood up for that gypsy girl!"  
"I agree with her honey," Fantasy added with a smile, "Nobody deserves to be punished for something they didn't do!"  
"We'd better ask the gypsies if we can come into their tent and have them tell us about Dante," Bethylasia suggested to her friends, "Gypsies are said to know lots of things, and maybe they can see things in their crystal balls or on your hand palms."  
Science Fiction gave an unsure look and said, "I dunno, sweetheart. Let's not get too naïve, here. I've heard things about gypsies causing trouble." She gave a small smile and finished, "But then again, not all of them are bad."  
"Come on, master," Horror said as he pointed to the gypsy tent, "That gypsy girl you helped looked really pretty!" He fluttered his eyes at the last word.  
Bethylasia gave a smug grin as she walked over to the tent and called, "Excuse us! We want to know something!"  
The gypsy girl got a glimpse of Bethylasia and said with annoyance, "Your highness, I know tricks of the royals. I think you were just trying to give those officers a day off from duty!"  
"No, I wasn't!" Bethylasia pleaded, "I saw you being bullied, and I got very disgusted at the way those guys were treating you. You're not gonna believe this, but I also live in another world where people used to bully me all the time!"  
"Don't be ridiculous!" the gypsy snapped as her monkey gave an angry face, "You're just luring me into a trap so I can get prosecuted by your royal family!"  
"No, honest!" Bethylasia said, "I have been in your shoes before. I just want you to help me, because I'm on an important quest! It's a matter of saving this whole kingdom of Libralia before a warlock destroys it!"  
The gypsy girl gasped a bit, and then thought for a moment. Finally, she sighed, "Very well. Come on in."  
Bethylasia motioned for Isabel and the books to follow her into the tent, and they did.

The gypsy girl looked over and saw the princess with all her friends and gasped, "Oh my goodness! I-I didn't realize you were travelling with… all kinds of company, your highness!"  
"Oh, don't be so formal," Bethylasia chuckled nervously, "You and Isabel can just call me Bethylasia." She and Isabel each shook a hand with the gypsy.  
"Well then, my name is Stella," the gypsy said with a small smile, "I'm called that, because my parents said I was born under the stars on a clear, autumn night."  
"It's very suitable for someone born under the stars," Sci-Fi complimented.  
Stella looked at Bethylasia and asked, "So, if you're not gonna arrest me, what do you want?"  
"Do you read palms or have a crystal ball?" Bethylasia asked, "I want information about an evil warlock named Dante."  
"Dante?" Stella gasped, "The fire man? My people know about him. He's trouble!" She then walked over to a nearby table with a crystal ball, and sat down in a chair. Next, she reached under the table and pulled out a small dish and some bottles of incense and other liquid. And then, she chanted, "Oh, Fortuna, lady of fortunes, allow me to concoct a formula for location. I have friends who seek to find a mysterious man – a man who plays with fire!"  
Bethylasia and her friends watched with awe as Isabel poured two bottles at the same time into the dish, and then took another bottle to add a drop of an orange liquid. Out from the dish shot a smoky image of a flame; it made Isabel gasp and cover her eyes.

Stella then dipped each of her index and middle fingers into the dish's liquid, and then twirled the fingers over her crystal ball. Before long, the ball glowed bright yellow, and then Stella looked into it. "I see something!" she whispered, "I see… I see… a man… three young women… a cauldron full of fire!"  
"Anything else?" Bethylasia asked with worry.  
Stella looked into her ball and continued, "I see… a large book with a lock… the evil man is trying to open it, but he's having no success!"  
Fantasy gasped and cried, "That's the book of secrets! Why's he trying to open it? Only Bethylasia's special necklace charm can open it!"  
Stella looked into the ball again, but her "spell" was wearing away. "I can't see anymore," she said with disappointment, "The trick wore off."  
Sci-Fi gave a look of anger and asked, "Wait – that was just a trick?!"  
"Yes and no," the gypsy girl answered, "Yes, most gypsies study magic to perform tricks, but guess what? I've been studying tricks that the mind can do, including seeing things and moving objects!"  
"Like telepathy and telekinesis?" Sci-Fi asked as her expression softened.  
Stella nodded. Then she looked at Bethylasia and said apologetically, "Look, I wish I could help you more, but I have to help my animal friends practice for a festival that's happening in this town tomorrow."  
Horror gasped and asked with excitement, "A festival? What kind of festival?"  
Stella smiled and said, "You see, my caravan and I visit this town in the Adventure Section for an annual two or three day trip. The people in this town, called Inletview, like to have fun on one particular day of the year – the third Saturday in May – which they call, the Day of Pure Silliness. That's why this festival is called the 'Festival of Silliness.'"  
Isabel giggled a little bit and asked, "What do the people do on that day?"  
Stella gave a big grin and said, "Oh, they dress in funny costumes, they drink lots of alcohol, they have games at different tents, there's lots of fatty foods, and then there's a few performances by us gypsies, and then a big dance in the town square, and then the last part is the crowning of the King of the Party. All you have to do is make a really funny and ugly face to win that title!" She looked at the princess and the books and said, "You guys are welcome to stay and celebrate if you have time."

Bethylasia thought long and hard. She thought about her royal family, and how disappointed they'd be with her for wasting time at a festival. Then she looked over at her book friends. Sci-Fi was clearly excited about drinking and having fun, while Horror was excited about going to a festival. The princess gave Stella a small smile and said, "I'll tell you what – my friends and I shall spend the night here, and then attend the festival tomorrow, but then we have to be on our way."  
"Sounds like a reasonable agreement," said Fantasy, "After all, I'm sure the royals wouldn't mind if we spent a little bit of time having fun."  
"Of course not!" agreed Adventure, "After all, this IS my section!"  
"I agree with Bethylasia on her last statement," said Mystery, "The sooner we can find Dante's lair, the sooner we can get that book back!"  
Everyone then cheered before they followed Stella to be introduced to other members of the caravan.


	14. Chapter 14

**Thirteen - A New Plot and Isabel's Flashback**

Back at his lair, Dante was watching Bethylasia and her friends through some magic smoke made by a spell he learned from one of Malaria's old books. "Well, well, well," he smirked, "It looks like Bethylasia will waste a little time by visiting a festival!"  
"Oh boy!" Cinnamon exclaimed with a grin, "I just love festivals! I've always wanted to see one up close!" She reached for the smoky image, but Rouge smacked her on the hand.  
"Yuck!" the lead henchwoman said with disgust, "Happy-go-lucky festivals! A day when people goof off to do stupid things!"  
Crimson looked up from a naughty magazine she was reading and commented with a hissing frown, "Don't mention it! And these people from Inletview are known for doing the dumbest of the dumb every year on that particular day! Dressing in colorful costumes, drinking till they're drunk, watching trashy gypsies dance, and making someone a dumb king for a day! Ugh, I can't stand it!"  
"I'm sorry all of you ladies think that festivals are bad," Dante said as he shook his head. He looked at Cinnamon and added, "Except one of you. But tonight, you will all travel to that town, and see if you can find the princess anywhere. Then, you capture her and her friends, and bring them… to me." He gave a wicked a smirk at the last two words and thought about his latest plan.

* * *

That night, in Inletview, the other gypsies in the caravan had all agreed to have Stella let Bethylasia and her friends stay with them for the night and prepare for the festival the next morning.  
_Isabel dreamed that she was a little girl again, about seven years old. She was happily playing outside near her family's garden, chasing butterflies and dancing. Just then, Marianne came outside and called, "Isabel, it's time to come inside and have supper!"_  
_"Okay, Mommy!" Isabel called back as she ran back inside the house._  
_As soon as she got in, she took off her playing shoes and put on her indoor shoes. Isabel then ran over to the kitchen water pump to wash her hands, and her mother smiled at her. "I've cooked your favorite," said Marianne, "Vegetable and barley stew!"_  
_Lester sniffed the air and complimented, "It smells wonderful, dear! I'm ready to eat!"_  
_Marianne chuckled and said, "Alright. Take your seats while I dish everyone's bowls up. Then we will say our blessing and dig in!" First, she took her husband's bowl and filled it up with delicious soup. Then she did the same with Isabel's bowl, and then her own bowl. When she finished, Marianne decided to set the pot over the fire again, hoping it will keep the soup warm in case anyone wanted seconds._

_ When the serving was done, Isabel and her family sat down to say a blessing, and then began to eat. "Mmmm, this is delicious!" Isabel complimented as she finished swallowing some soup. Marianne just gave her a smile._  
_As the family ate, the soup in the pot bubbled more and became hotter and hotter. After several minutes, the soup became so hot that smoke started clogging up the chimney, and sparks in the firewood started flying out onto the floor! Lester started smelling something suspicious, and then immediately realized what was wrong. "Marianne, open the door and get Isabel outside! I smell smoke!"_  
_Marianne looked over at the fireplace, and sure enough, the wooden floor caught fire and the flames were growing! "Oh no!" she cried out with fear, "Isabel, come with me! We've got to get outside!" She picked up Isabel in her arms, and then ran out the front door while Lester followed._

_ When they got outside, Lester ran over to the outdoor water pump and pumped some water into a pail as fast as he could. Carefully and quickly, he went back inside the house in an attempt to put the flames out. When he got inside, though, Lester was shocked when he saw that the flames had gotten bigger, and were growing by the minute! He hastily splashed some water on some of the flames, making them go out, but more flames kept engulfing the cottage. Isabel's father made a wise decision by immediately leaving the house before anything could happen. But just as he left, Lester tripped over a piece of debris and fell down; a falling wooden beam came crashing down and landed on his leg, making him yelp in pain!_  
_"Daddy!" Isabel screamed._  
_"Isabel, wait here while I help your father!" Marianne said as she ran over to help Lester from the wreckage. When she helped him stand up, the two of them limped away as fast as they could and found refuge about fifteen feet away from the burning cottage._  
Isabel then woke up from her nightmare with a frightened gasp and cold sweat drenching her forehead. This wasn't just a nightmare – it was a flashback that started her fear of fire. Isabel looked around at her sleeping friends and stayed awake for several more minutes, believing that something bad may happen soon.


	15. Chapter 15

**Fourteen - The Festival Begins**

The next morning, Bethylasia and her friends woke up with yawns and sleepy eyes – especially Isabel, who had a little trouble sleeping after her nightmare. "Isabel, are you okay?" Fantasy asked as she looked at the peasant girl.  
"I'm fine," Isabel answered with a gloomy tone of voice.  
"You don't look fine," Sci-Fi said with concern, "Did you have a nightmare last night?"  
Isabel nodded and said, "It was more than a nightmare. It was a flashback on how I got my fear of fire! When I was about seven, my parents and I were having dinner, and the leftovers got too hot, and then sparks turned into flames! My father went to put some of the flames out, but when he came out, he tripped and fell, and then a beam landed on his leg and broke it! For a long time, my family and I were homeless, and we had to take shelter with our friends until we had enough money to buy our own house in Ember Hollow. But even after that, we remained poor, and then those three men women showed up and started taking our taxes to embezzle them on their own delicacies!" She looked ready to cry when she finished, so Bethylasia comforted her by gently placing her hand on her shoulder.  
"It's okay, Isabel," the princess said, "When our quest is finished, I'll take you to see my royal family, and maybe my grandfather will do something about this."  
Isabel managed a small, sad smile and said, "I'd like that."  
Just then, Stella came up to the guests in her caravan with clothes in her arms. "I found some nice costumes for you two girls to wear during the festival," she smiled, "I hope you like them!"  
The gypsy girl then laid the clothes out on a rug, and Bethylasia and Isabel took a look.

One dress was red and burgundy with puffy sleeves at the shoulders, and the other dress was sky blue with white ribbons. "Oooh!" said Isabel with wide eyes, "I like the red dress. May I wear that one?"  
Stella nodded and said, "Yes. I also have a few accessories for it. Stefano!" She clapped her hands and her monkey, Stefano, looked into a small box to find some accessories. "Be sure to find some stuff for the other dress, too!" Stella added to her monkey.  
Stefano made a noise and scratched his head before he kept on looking. "I see you also had a horse foal and a bear cub with you yesterday," Bethylasia said to the gypsy girl.  
"Oh yes," Stella giggled, "My foal is named Apollo, because he's gold-colored, and he loves music – just like the Greek god Apollo, himself! Impavida is my bear cub. Her name means 'fearless,' but she's still a bit scared. She hasn't lived up to her name yet, but she will!"  
As if on cue, the little brown bear cub, Impavida, nervously stuck her head out from under a pile of clothes to look around. "Oh, it's okay, little teddy bear!" Fantasy cooed to the cub, "Come out!" Impavida gave a frightened grunt and dove under the pile again.  
"She'll do fine," Stella assured everyone, "Come on! We should get ready for the festival!"  
Bethylasia nodded and motioned for her friends to follow her and Stella.

* * *

At around twelve o'clock noon, three certain henchwomen were prowling the alleys of Inletview in secrecy, looking for Bethylasia. "Do you see anything?" Cinnamon whispered to Rouge as the leader looked around.  
"No, not yet!" Rouge replied, "Surely that girl is easily recognizable with her auburn hair and glasses!"  
"We've been searching all morning, and no sign of her!" Crimson added with a frown, "Where can that royal nerd be? I hope the festival doesn't start for another couple of hours, because then we REALLY won't find her!"  
At her last words, cheerful music and noisemakers could be heard in the streets, and a crowd of people was cheering. "Fine time you picked to mention a festival!" Rouge scoffed to Crimson.  
"Sorry!" snarled Crimson.  
"What are you girls complaining about?" Cinnamon asked, "Why don't we just go out there and enjoy the party?"  
Rouge rolled her eyes and said, "Alright. We'll go into the crowd and see if we can find that girl. And when we do, we'll do just what Dante wanted us to do! Come on, girls!" The girls then ventured out of an alley to find the princess.

At the Festival, Bethylasia, Isabel, and the books all came out of a tent in their disguises. Isabel was wearing the red and burgundy dress with a hot pink choker around her neck, red earrings, and a headband with red flowers; her hair was also done in a half-ponytail.  
Bethylasia was wearing the sky blue dress with white trimming, an indigo choker, and silver earrings; her hair was tied back in a high ponytail by a sky blue ribbon.  
All the books were wearing dark green cloaks over themselves, so that no one would recognize them as the Pagemaster's servants to avoid suspicion. Stella stayed behind to help the other gypsies prepare for their dancing acts.

When Bethylasia and her friends arrived at an open spot in the street, a band could be heard playing Johann Strauss's _**Radetsky March**_, and the townspeople were all laughing and cheering; everyone Bethylasia saw was dressed in a funny costume. There were "jesters," "kings and queens," clowns, animal suits, and flamboyant and colorful gowns. "This sure is an interesting festival," Sci-Fi commented with a weak smile.  
"Sci-Fi, are you okay?" Isabel asked.  
"Yeah," the lemon book answered, "I'm in the final days of my time of the month, that's all. I just hope I don't have any cramps."  
Horror, in the meantime, became intrigued by a person dressed as a unicorn – with two rear ends! The hunchbook laughed and decided to follow some of the people dressed in other animal costumes, and then ran off; none of his friends saw him go.  
Isabel looked around and asked Bethylasia, "So, your highness, what shall we do first?"  
Bethylasia thought for a moment, and then suggested, "Why don't go over to that stand to have our faces painted?" She remembered her days when she was Becca at ten years old, going to a state fair and having a fairy painted on her cheek.  
All the books agreed, and then they went off to have painted faces and spines.

Meanwhile, Horror was trying to maneuver through a crowd of people dressed as jungle animals, but then he was caught by the arm! Some young girls all wanted to dance the can-can, and they took Horror with them! The dancers cheered and danced with their skirts and legs up in the air, before they let Horror go and spin around.  
Horror screamed and spun until he entered a tent (Stella's) and pulled a curtain away. Impavida and Apollo the foal ran away upon impact. "Hey!" Stella cried as she covered herself with a purple bathrobe. Her expression softened when she saw a familiar hand and asked, "Horror, are you okay?"  
Horror came out from under the curtain and stammered, "Oh, Stella! I-I-I didn't mean to… I'm sorry!"  
"Oh, you aren't hurt, are you?" Stella asked as she leaned down to look at the book, "Let me see." She gently held Horror as she examined him, and saw no injuries. "Oh, thank goodness," Stella said with a smile, "No harm done. But try to be a little more careful next time, okay?"  
"Okay!" Horror smiled with a dashing pose. Stella smiled back as she went back to change clothes, while the hunchbook exited her tent.

At the face painting stand, Bethylasia had gotten a pink pixie painted on her cheek, while Isabel got a blonde mermaid with a sea green tail. Adventure and Mystery sat out at having their faces painted to save any embarrassment; Sci-Fi got a design of a king cobra on her spine, and Fantasy got a design of a yellow butterfly.  
Mystery looked over and noticed something odd. "Has anyone seen Horror of late?" he asked with concern, "This is a very big celebration, and I wonder if he's gotten lost – or something worse!"  
"Mystery, it's okay!" Sci-Fi assured, "I'm sure we'll find him. In fact, I know we'll find him sooner or later!"  
"Look!" Isabel pointed out, "Everybody's getting ready for a big dance, it looks like!"  
Sure enough, many of the townspeople were gathering around in two parallel lines in the town square. One line had women, and another line had men – clearly, this was going to be dance with couples switching out every so often. "Maybe we'll see Horror in that dance?" Bethylasia wondered, "Let's go!" So she and the others happily and quickly walked over to the town square, preparing to dance.

When they all got into position at the town square, Adventure was standing in front of Fantasy, Sci-Fi was standing in front of Mystery, Isabel was standing in front of a man dressed as a clown, and Bethylasia was standing in front of a man dressed as a knight. Soon some musicians played their instruments, and all the men from the male line each took the hand of the woman across from him. All the couples did a step forward, and then a step backward as they held hands. The women were twirled around a bit before it was time to switch partners. Everyone switched partners until the music ended, and the crowd gave a big round of applause. Just then, a voice announced, "And now, ladies and gentlemen! It is time for a dance done by a mysterious gem from a faraway land!"  
"Who do you suppose that would be?" Isabel asked her friends.  
"I wouldn't be surprised if it was Stella!" Sci-Fi grinned, "Hey! Maybe we'll find Horror there?" She then ran off to a stage, and everyone followed her to see the dancer.


	16. Chapter 16

**Fifteen - Stella's Performance**

At the stage, a crowd of people were gathered around to see the "mysterious gem." Among the onlookers were Horror (who was about four inches away from the stage), Dante's henchwomen (who were way in the back of the crowd, each carrying a pair of opera glasses), and Bethylasia with her friends (who all managed to get a space in the middle of the crowd). An emcee came onstage and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Gather around and see the most beautiful girl around to entrance you with a dance and song – the lovely, the one and only Stella Sephora!" Then the emcee walked off the stage, and a cloud of pink smoke suddenly exploded onto the stage!  
Everyone gasped in awe as the smoke cleared, and Stella appeared at the center of the impact. She was wearing a hot pink top with long, open sleeves, a matching hot pink skirt with a bejeweled golden belt, hot pink flats, and golden jewelry (including a tiara, earrings, gauntlets, a necklace with stars and a moon, and anklets). Tiny pink crystals decorated her outfit while her hair was down and curly. Stella stayed still on the stage until she lifted her head up and softly sang:

_The French are glad to die for love_  
_They delight in fighting duels_  
_But I prefer a man who lives_  
_And gives expensive jewels_

The musicians played lively music as Stella took out a long, pink ribbon from behind her back and started dancing in a lively fashion.  
From the back end of the crowd, Dante's henchwomen watched with frowns (except for Cinnamon, who was clearly enjoying the show). "Look at that disgusting display!" Rouge scoffed.  
"You said it!" added Crimson.  
"Yes, ladies!" Cinnamon smiled.  
Back onstage, Stella twirled around and pranced about with her ribbon as she sang:

_A kiss on the hand may be_  
_Quite continental_  
_But diamonds are a girl's best friend_  
_A kiss may be grand but it_  
_Won't pay the rental_  
_On your humble flat_  
_Or help you feel your old pussy cat!_  
_Men grow cold_  
_As girls grow old_  
_And we all lose our charms in the end!_

In the crowd, people cheered for Stella, and a few men whistled at her. Bethylasia and Isabel watched the gypsy girl dance with wide eyes.

_But square cut or pear-shaped_  
_These rocks don't lose their shape_  
_Diamonds are a girl's best friend!_

Stella leaped gracefully over one part of the stage and called out, "Tiffany!" Everyone cheered as Stella went to the other half of the stage and called out, "Cartier!" She then leaned down and winked at Horror, who blushed deep red. Then Stella came back on her feet and did a little tap dance while singing:

_'Cause we are living in a material world_  
_And I am a material girl!_

The gypsy girl blew a kiss, and then sat down on a swinging platform as she called out, "Come and get me, boys!" Then the platform lifted her up in the air as all the single men climbed onto the stage, trying to receive a kiss from the gypsy. After a few seconds of swinging about, the stage cleared, and Stella came back on to do a catwalk as she sang:

_There may come a time when_  
_A lass needs a lawyer_  
_But diamonds are a girl's best friend!_  
_There may come a time when_  
_A hard-boiled employer_  
_Thinks you're awful nice!_  
_But get that ice or else no dice!_

Some of Stella's female gypsy companions joined her on the stage as they all sang with grins:

_He's your guy when_  
_Stocks are high_  
_But beware when they start to descend!_  
_Diamonds are a girl's best… (3x)_  
_Friend!_

All the gypsies, including Stella, danced together while the crowd cheered and whistled, but Dante's henchwomen just sulked and continued to move on their way, hoping to find Bethylasia.  
Back onstage, Stella grabbed a pole and twirled around it before singing the final part of the song:

_'Cause that's when those louses_  
_Go back to their spouses_  
_Diamonds are a_  
_Girl's… Best…_  
_(Diamonds are a girl's best)_  
_Friend!_

The musicians gave one final note as Stella blew a kiss, and then the crowd cheered gleefully. People tossed out coins and roses; even Fantasy dug into her pages and pulled out a rose to toss to Stella!

Author's Note: The song featured belongs to 20th Century Fox, Robert S. Rans, and Peter H. Brown.


	17. Chapter 17

**Sixteen - An Unexpected Surprise for Horror**

The emcee arrived back onstage and announced to the partygoers, "And now, ladies and gentlemen! The piece de resistance!" Everyone gathered close as the emcee sang out loud:

_Here it is! The moment you've been waiting for_  
_Here it is! You know exactly what's in store_  
_Now's the time we laugh until our sides get sore_  
_Now's the time we crown the King of the Party!_

"You all remember last year's king?" the emcee asked as he pointed out to a man dressed as a king, sitting in a throne with a mug of beer in his hand; he let out a big belch. Lots of people put on masks as the emcee instructed in song:

_So make a face that's horrible and frightening_  
_Make a face as gruesome as a gargoyle's wing_  
_For the face that's ugliest will be the King of the Party!_

Horror, meanwhile, looked around with confusion, and then Stella saw him with a smile; the gypsy girl decided to pull him up onto the stage. Horror's cape slipped off as he was gently taken onto the stage, and Stella escorted him to a line of people wearing masks.

Out in the streets, a trio of partygoers was swapping hats with each other, while another trio was chased by a wooden dragon on wheels. Back at the main stage, the emcee asked everyone, "Why?" The crowd answered in song:

_Topsy-turvy!_  
**Emcee:** _Ugly folks, forget your shyness!_  
**Crowd:** _Topsy-turvy!_  
**Emcee:** _You could soon be called "your highness"!_  
**Crowd:** _Put your foulest features on display!_  
_Be the king on Topsy-Turvy Day!_

Stella removed one man's mask, and that person made face resembling a puffed up toad. Everyone booed as that person was escorted off the stage by other gypsies. Then another man was unmasking, revealing a nasty face with a tongue sticking out of the mouth. The crowd booed that man, too, and he was escorted off the stage. One by one, all the men in line were escorted offstage until only Horror was left.

Still in thought of pulling off masks, Stella pulled on Horror's cheeks, and gasped when she realized what she was doing. "Horror!" she gasped, "I didn't realize…"  
Everyone in the crowd gasped, also, and some people screamed. "Hey, that's not a mask!" someone whispered.  
"That's his actual face!" added someone else.  
"A hideous creature!" said one woman.  
"That's the guardian of the Crypts of Horror!" cried one man.  
In the crowd, Bethylasia put her hands over her mouth, and Isabel fainted. Luckily, Fantasy, Adventure, and Mystery caught her before she could hit the ground. Sci-Fi, on the other hand, clenched her fists with anger, and looked ready to fight.  
"Sci-Fi, whatever you do," warned Fantasy, "Don't get into a fight with anyone!"  
"But, look at poor Horror!" Sci-Fi gritted through her teeth as she pointed to Horror on the stage.  
Onstage, Horror was breathing heavily out of fright as he covered his face in shame. "Horror, I'm sorry," said Stella, "I didn't know, okay?"  
The emcee approached the hunchbook with a little red velvet crown and assured, "Folks, don't panic! We wanted the ugliest face to win, right? And here we have it – Horror, the Pagemaster's guardian of the Crypts of Horror!" He placed the crown on top of Horror, and everyone in the crowd cheered with delight. Everyone that is, except for Dante's henchwomen, who kept to themselves and smirked at each other.  
In the crowd, Bethylasia gave a big smile as she clapped her hands and whispered, "YES! Way to go, Horror!"  
A group of people held Horror up in the air, and the emcee cheered, "Everybody!"  
Then, there came a parade with Horror as the King of the Party, and everyone sang out loud:

_Once a year we throw a party here in town_  
_Once a year we turn all Inletview upside-down_  
_Once a year the ugliest will wear a crown!_  
_Once a year on Topsy-Turvy Day!_

People tossed confetti and roses all around as they made way for Horror, who was taken to a pillory to be honored. In the crowd, Science Fiction felt a sharp pain by her legs and cried, "Oh! Another cramp!"  
"Sci-Fi, are you okay?" Isabel asked with concern.  
"I'm fine," said Sci-Fi, "I'm just in the final days of 'you-know-what.' Would you mind taking me to a restroom or an outhouse?"  
"Sure thing, girl," Fantasy smiled, "Let's just hope Horror is okay with that crowd."  
"I hope so, too," Bethylasia said as she watched Fantasy and Sci-Fi go off, "Isabel, I think we should go back and check on Stella, what do you think?"  
"Sounds good," Isabel smiled, "Adventure, Mystery, keep an eye on Horror for us, will you?"  
"Aye-aye, lassies!" Adventure saluted.  
No sooner had the girls left than many bodies surrounded Mystery and Adventure. The male books grunted and groaned as they were pushed through the crowd.

Back on the pillory, Horror was given a red cape with a golden scepter, and the crowd danced around as they sang out loud to celebrate:

_It's a day we do the things that we deplore_  
_On the other three hundred and sixty-four_  
_Once a year we love to drop in_  
_Where the beer is never stoppin'_  
_For a chance to pop some popinjay!_  
_And pick a king who puts the "top" in Topsy-Turvy_  
_Mad and crazy, upsy-daisy Topsy-Turvy Day!_

The crowd chanted Horror's name as they tossed flowers, confetti, and candy to the "King of the Party." Unknown to anyone, three certain females were planning a mean prank…

Author's Note: The song "Topsy-Turvy" is from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame ((c) Disney/Victor Hugo)


	18. Chapter 18

**Seventeen - Horror's Torture and Sci-Fi's Temper  
**

Rouge, Crimson, and Cinnamon walked closer to the pillory and watched Horror with cruel smirks on their faces. "Well, well, well!" said Rouge as she got a tomato out from behind her back, "If it isn't the ugliest member of the Pagemaster's guardians! You girls think he's ugly? Watch this!" She then threw her tomato at the hunchbook.  
Up at the pillory, Horror was smiling and waving to the crowd when something hit his back cover! He felt the contents, and then gasped with shock when he saw what hit him (literally and metaphorically).  
All the people in the crowd gasped, too. Down on the ground, Mystery asked Adventure, "Why has everyone stopped cheering?"  
"Now that's ugly, girls!" Rouge laughed as she pointed at Horror.  
As Horror looked around in terror, Crimson picked up a dead fish and threw it at Horror as she jeered, "Long live the king!"  
The fish hit Horror in the spine as Rouge and Crimson yelled, "A feast for a king! Bon appetite!" Tomatoes, eggs, and fish hit the hunchbook, making him moan in fear.

Horror took one step, and he slipped on an egg yolk and fell down on his pages with a yelp; his crown came off upon impact. This time, all the other partygoers thought Horror's mishap was hilarious, and they began laughing and throwing other kinds of rotten food at him. The poor book tried to get off the pillory, but he was blocked by a crashing pumpkin. "Where are you going, you little ape book?" one man sneered.  
"Yeah, the real party's just begun!" another man snarled as he circled a lassoed rope in the air. The lasso caught Horror by the back end, keeping his pages shut and pulling his cape off. Once again, the book struggled to get free, but he tripped over a fish and fell on his spine, making everyone laugh harder!

Down on the ground, Mystery and Adventure struggled their way to find Horror, but they were blocked by jeering people, flying food, and ropes. "Come on, Mystery!" Adventure said to his friend, "We've got to find Bethylasia and the others!" So he and Mystery ran away from the pillory, and tried finding their friends to help Horror.  
Back on the pillory, both of Horror's wrists were tied down with wires by a couple members of the crowd, making him loose his scepter. Horror struggled to get free, but he ended up having his sleeves torn from his arms! Just as he finally tried stepping down again, more food was pelted onto him, and more ropes and wires subdued him. This time, two men tied the book's wrists together behind him with strong wires, and then tied a big rope onto the wiring. That rope was part of a large platform, and a few other people hoisted Horror off the pillory, into the air, and spun him around, making the poor book scream as people threw lots of rotten food at him.

From her tent, Stella was dressed in her normal outfit, and she was just tying her hair up in a ponytail when she heard the commotion. "Bethylasia! Isabel!" she gasped with shock.  
"What is it?" the princess asked as she put her glasses back on; she and Isabel were also dressed in their original outfits.  
Isabel saw poor Horror and gasped, "Someone's got to stop this!"  
"MISTRESS!" Horror cried out as the platform lowered him onto the pillory again, "MISTRESS, HELP ME! This is no way to treat a library book! SANCTUARY!"  
As Isabel and Bethylasia got together to plan something, Stella went right ahead and walked out of the tent. "Stella, where are you going?" Bethylasia called.  
"Someone's gotta do something sooner or later!" answered the gypsy girl.  
In the crowd, Cinnamon was getting tired of watching Horror getting tortured. "Uh, Rouge?" she asked, "Don't you think we should go up and stop this cruelty sooner or later?"  
"In a minute, Cinnamon," Rouge responded with a smirk, "I wanna see how the princess will react when that dopey book of hers gets flogged!" Just then, all the people in the crowd went silent and stopped what they were doing.

Stella was walking up the steps to the pillory, and approached a fallen Horror with a look of sympathy and compassion. She knelt down to him and whispered, "Don't be scared, Horror."  
Horror just moved away from her a bit in fright, but Stella gently touched him and said sadly, "I'm so sorry." Then the gypsy girl used the tip of her scarf to wipe the food off the book's spine as she said, "None of this was supposed to happen." When she finished, she looked at the crowd and asked with a glare, "WAS IT?"  
"What do you mean none of that was supposed to happen?" Rouge asked from the crowd, "You shouldn't be ruining our fun, street rat!"  
"You call that 'fun?'" Stella asked, "That was torture! And now it's time to free this poor creature!" She showed a belt around her thigh that carried a dagger, and then pulled the weapon out. Then, Stella used the dagger to undo the wires around Horror's wrists; everyone watching gasped.  
"You crazy little snake!" Crimson hissed with a frown.  
Stella got back on her feet and angrily asked, "What has this book done to make you turn against him like that? You mistreat him the same way you mistreat my fellow gypsies! All of you should be ashamed of yourselves for bullying Horror and making him look bad! I may not be in the law enforcement, but I know when justice should be done instead of spreading cruelty around!"  
"SHUT UP!" roared Rouge.  
"JUSTICE!" Stella shouted as she held her dagger up in the air. Everyone down below gasped with shock and awe.

Meanwhile, Mystery and Adventure had found Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and the lemon yellow book asked, "What's going on? Why is everything so quiet?"  
"Sci-Fi, you're not going to like this," answered Mystery, "But somehow, the whole crowd turned against Horror by tying him up, throwing food at him, laughing at him, and spinning him around for public display!"  
"What?!" shrieked Sci-Fi.  
"Tis true, lassie!" Adventure said.  
Sci-Fi looked over at the pillory, and there was Horror, who was covered in food with torn sleeves on his arms. Just then, a fiery and furious feeling came over Science Fiction; she remembered an incident in her past when she was in Horror's shoes, and people laughed at her for being a book with large glasses and an aptitude for non-fiction. She then dug into her pages, pulled out her space sword, and growled to her fellow books, "Out of my way, bitches! I've got a bone to gnaw!" Filled with terrible rage, Sci-Fi ran over to the crowd with a sheer battle cry, and stabbed her sword into the abdomen of the man who first lassoed Horror.  
At Stella's tent, Bethylasia saw Sci-Fi stab a person as the crowd gasped with fear and shock. "SCI-FI, NO!" the princess screamed as she ran towards Sci-Fi.

Sci-Fi didn't take any notice to the princess. Instead, she used her surprisingly high strength to lift the groaning and dying man in the air with her sword as she roared, "_**ALRIGHT, YOU CUM-DRINKERS! I'LL TEACH YOU TO LAUGH AT SOMETHING I THINK IS FUNNY!**_" Then she threw the man off her sword as the people screamed and ran for their lives!  
Stella took Horror in her arms just as Sci-Fi arrived onto the pillory with a bloody sword and "adrenaline" speeding through her pages and soul. "SCI-FI, DON'T!" Stella cried as she wearily left the stage with Horror in her arms.  
Dante's henchwomen, meanwhile, looked up at the pillory to see Sci-Fi throw two dead fish at the crowd. Then, they whispered some magic words to produce several fiery demons, each holding a rope. The women then took their weapons of choice from behind their backs; Rouge used a ball on a chain (a mace) to aim at Sci-Fi, and then whacked the book with the ball!  
"Get that book!" Rouge ordered the demons, "Tie her down!"  
Two of the demons lassoed their ropes onto each of Science Fiction's wrists, making her scream, "NOOOO!" Bethylasia had just arrived at the pillory when she saw Sci-Fi screaming for help as the demons threw more ropes upon her.  
Just then, Isabel pulled Bethylasia back and said, "No! Just let them take her – fire's too dangerous!"  
Sci-Fi noticed Bethylasia and Isabel run away, and tried running after them, but Crimson took a chain and chained the book's ankle.

When she was chained, Science Fiction's intelligent and loving brown eyes turned merlot red with deep rage; she screamed and grabbed her space sword, swinging it at several demons, making them back off in fright. She also moved her arms around to send demons flying through the air to disappear. That didn't stop the henchwomen, though! Rouge moved her mace again to subdue Sci-Fi, and Crimson used her nunchucks to whack the book on the "head." Sci-Fi grabbed Crimson by her skirt, and then tore it off, making her spin around in her undergarments and fall off the pillory in a pile of mud!

Just then, Cinnamon called to her friends with worry, "Uh, guys! The coppers of this town are coming! Let's get out of here!" And sure enough, the guards in charge of upholding Inletview's laws came running to stop the commotion. Before they came, the henchwomen all gathered together with the minions and created a big puff of smoke to disappear into!  
Instead of searching for the women, the officers all looked at Sci-Fi with glares, and trapped her in a net! "Sweetheart, you're under arrest for a massive riot at a celebration!" the fat officer snarled to the captive.  
"I was trying to protect one of my friends!" Sci-Fi shrieked with anger and disbelief.  
"Tell that to the judge!" the beanpole officer frowned.  
Inside Stella's tent, Bethylasia and all her friends watched with fear as Sci-Fi was taken away by the officers. "We gotta get her back!" Fantasy whispered.  
"But how?" asked Isabel.  
"Yeah," added Bethylasia, "I'm already on a quest to save the book of secrets! If I stay here, Dante will burn the book, and literature will die!"  
"Sci-Fi's one of us!" Mystery said sternly, "And we've got to help her if it kills or burns us!"

Author's Note: I borrowed some scenes from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Dumbo for this part. (both movies belong to Disney)


	19. Chapter 19

**Eighteen - A Song Prayer  
**

Later that night, Science Fiction was in a jail cell with chains on her ankles. She looked out between two bars with moist eyes and lamented to herself, "I shouldn't have let my temper get the best of me. Now Bethylasia and the others are doomed, because of me!" She shed a tear from each of her eyes as she turned away and walked over to her bed with a sad sigh. Her expression slowly turned to hope as she whispered, "Then again, maybe Dante is putting off the burning of the Pagemaster's book of secrets for a while? Maybe there will be a ray of hope? I just hope that one day, Libralia and the real world will both be better places." She looked up at the ceiling; there was a tiny hole up above, which had moonlight shining down. The book then sang softly:

_Someday_  
_When we are wiser_  
_When the world's older_  
_When we have learned_  
_I pray_  
_Someday we may yet live_  
_To live and let live_

Over at Stella's caravan, Bethylasia, Isabel, and Stella, all looked out the window in one of the wagons, and looked up at a crescent moon in the starry sky. Bethylasia was not only worried about Sci-Fi, but also about her grandfather's book of secrets when she sang:

_Someday_  
_Life will be fairer_  
_Need will be rarer_  
_Greed will not pay_  
**Stella:** _Godspeed_  
_This bright millennium_  
_On its way_  
_Let it come someday!_

Stella turned away from the window to check on Stefano and Impavida. The monkey was fast asleep on a pillow, while Impavida was waiting for her mistress to comfort her in the dark. Bethylasia saw visions of her royal family in the stars as she sang:

_Someday_  
_Our fight will be won and_  
_We'll stand in the sun, in_  
_That bright afternoon_  
_Till then_  
_On days when the sun is gone_  
_We'll hang on_  
_If we wish upon the moon!_

In her jail cell, Sci-Fi walked over to her bars again as she sang:

_There are some days dark and bitter_  
_Seems we haven't got a prayer_  
_But a prayer for something better_  
_Is the one thing we all share!_

Up in the starry sky, we see images of Bethylasia, Stella, and Sci-Fi singing the song, hoping that things will turn out for the better later on.

**Bethylasia, Sci-Fi, and Stella:** _Someday_  
_When we are wiser_  
_When the world's older_  
_When we have learned_  
_I pray_  
_Someday we may yet live_  
_To live and one day, someday_  
_Someday_  
_Life will be fairer_  
_Need will be rarer_  
_And greed will not pay_  
_Godspeed_  
_This bright millennium_  
_Let it come_  
_If we wish upon the moon!_  
_One day, someday_  
_Soon_

In her cell, Sci-Fi sadly went over to her bed and laid down upon it as she sang, "Someday, soon." Then she yawned and fell asleep.  
At Stella's caravan, Bethylasia and Isabel walked away from the window to get their sleep, too. "Don't worry, honey," Fantasy assured with a little hope, "We'll find a way to get Sci-Fi out of jail. Even if we didn't, you should know that she's very smart and clever and may even find a way out herself!"  
"I hope so," Isabel said with a sad smile, "Goodnight."  
Everyone bade each other good night, and then laid down blankets covering the floor.

Author's Note: I borrowed the song "Someday" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame ((c) Disney).


End file.
